Blithe Deception
by Julibee-Darling
Summary: Years after the war against Nadil, the Dragon Knights have become fathers or a husband to be. But discovering Nadil's plans didnt die with him, the Dragon Tribe must battle an enemy even more powerful then thier first. Contains alot of lime,lemon,yaoi,het
1. At The Dragon's Breath

Author's Notes: Hello everyone! bows to all What's up and kicking? First off, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read my story…as I'm notorious for lengthy chapters and all. I also need to get down on my knees and beg for the forgiveness of all thirty one people who've taken the time to read my story and waiting so patiently for the third chapter. And once again I find the need to revise up the story because A) too many errors and B) Too many loops in the story.

This isn't my first fic. More like my millionth and a half, the only thing is that this is the first one I've ever posted. If you wanna chat, AIM me at Bonny Fyfa I love talking to people!

Now I hope this doesn't scare readers off but it does contain several OCs of mine. HAVE NO FEAR the main one is NO MARY SUE! hopes to God she hasn't scared people off 'cause she hates Mary Sues a lot too I hope you all enjoy her and I hope my fellow females don't hurt me too badly for whom I created her for.

Since I couldn't ram everything I needed to put into the summary tidbit, I'll have to do it here. This story is a sequel to the Dragon Knights manga and the couples in this story are…

Rath x Cesia, Thatz x Kitchel, Rune x Tintlette, Lykouleon x Raseleane, Raamgarnus x Gil, at least two pairings concerning the DK's kids, and many other OC pairings I've had to insert to make a decent sequel to the fabulous manga of Dragon Knights.

Disclaimers: I don't own Dragon Knights but I'd kill to do so. This is the disclaimer for the entire story so DO NOT SUE ME FOR ANYTHING I love Mineko Ohkami's style and she is one of my favorite manga-ka. I do own Enyaren, Theisinger, Lucivar, the DK's kids, and any other OC that didn't appear in the manga. That being said, LONG LIVE MINEKO OHKAMI!

One more thing: My apologies for inaccurate information on the series, punctuation/grammar mistakes, and anything else that's messed up. bows I try my very best but we all know that does have it's flaws with the formatting!

Another one more thing: DO NOT STEAL MY CHARACTERS OR MY PLOT! If you do, yon arse is reported and I shall HUNT YE DOWN

Now enough of my babble and on with the story…

_**The Dragon's Breath, Bin-Rah, Dusis**_

The sun had long past fallen behind the mountains over the continent of Dusis and evening was already late in her hours after a long but beautiful, clear mid spring day in the kingdom. For any Tavern and Inn of any times, the further the sun sank the busier a place like The Dragon's Breath Inn grew in the dining chamber, in both noise, music, and an occasional drunkenness, the frequency depended on the general crowd a tavern served for the night.

This Tavern was also the Inn of a little village which was a day's horse ride away from the Capital and the Dragon Palace, so the level of drunken travelers and locals was a fair amount. Although there was no screaming or knives in backs or running swords through chests, a brawl was an ever- present threat in a tavern no matter how few the intoxicated were. The entire building was a large, four-level building with dark oak wood frames, balconies, and foundations while the smooth walls were a plain white washed paint. The main entrance consisted of a single, large curved and carved wood door with a black iron handle. Above it hung a cherry wood sign cut in the shape of a dragon bearing the Inn's name branded in burned, beautiful writing. On either side of the door were paneled windows to allow anyone outside to get a glimpse of its interior.

It was a large room consisting of several levitated areas, round tables scattered about in a semi-complex maze of chairs and legs, brightly lit by an Illumination spell and warmed by several fires burning in it's five hearths about the room. Against the very back wall beside the stairs that led up to the bedroom was the bar counter lined with tall stools while behind it stood a grand looking shelf filled with barrels, bottles of all sizes, glasses, plates, and tankards. There was a bit of a crowd inside that evening, as the wenches hurried along with their bussing and guests drank, ate, gambled, and talked with family or companions.

At a relatively secluded table tucked away in a dimmer corner of the Tavern, seated at a table for two under the loft that sported more barrels of ale, wines, whiskeys, gins, and just about any other alcoholic beverage ever brewed in Dusis was a pair of boyhood companions. To every pair of eyes in the place they were obviously young men in the prime of their youth, both very handsome and attracting the star struck gaze of ladies young and old, even a couple of men over their tankards. They were conversing and laughing over their personal matters with a bottle of strong elfish ale called Gold Luumbargis and a plate of dinner consisting of primarily roast chicken, a bowel of fruit, cheese, bread, and potatoes.

Who would have guessed that it was the Dragon King and his right hand man?

Lykouleon had disguised himself as a commoner, choosing a pair of simple, form fitting brown doe skin pants which accented his long, lean legs and were tucked into a pair of knee high black riding boots. Over his white linen poet's blouse was a knee long tunic of black cotton while a white sash was wrapped around his waist. This would support a simple, two-hand sword and sheath on his hip if it weren't leaning against the table beside him. His hair held a pair of Reme, which were a pair of 'hair earrings' one could say. They were made of imitation gold and clipped to a lock of his bangs, hanging in a chain decorated with a few glass beads. The king had purposely chosen the jewelry of little value to avoid the attention real ones would surely attract.

Sitting across from him was Ruwalk, who was dressed rather similarly to his boyhood friend. He had donned a pair of unyielding black leather pants that did much for his tall, lean frame and on his feet were a matching pair of ankle high, lace boots. On his narrow hips instead of a sash he had chosen a couple of chains made of thin, silver links to drape around his waist and keep his own sword there, which was propped up against the wall. His loose, long sleeved white shirt was tucked neatly into his pants and was complemented with a plain, black leather vest while his long, ebony-gone- auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

The two had decided it was high time for a little time spent together away from the palace and as commoners-incognito, to explore the surrounding areas of the kingdom and to see the effects of Lykouleon's rule. It had been fifty years since the defeat of Shydeman, Shyrendora, and Nadil, and the kingdom had calmed down to its prosperous state it had been before the demons had begun to gather. Rath constantly complained of there being nothing to do since there were hardly any demons left to run after, but it didn't mean that they had vanished completely.

According to the rumors that the blonde haired king and his companion had heard, there would soon be a new threat concerning the demon army on the continent Arinas. But who could possibly believe such a tiny rumor when no others that they had spoken to could vouch for it? Besides, the time was for relaxing, not worrying on war, or so Ruwalk had tried to convince his friend. Thus far, the Yellow Dragon Officer thought he had done a good job of doing so, since Lykouleon was far away on a trip down memory lane. He couldn't say anything about it, since he was guilty of it too and had fallen pretty deeply into it.

They were reminiscing the first time they had gotten themselves intoxicated together, some…eight centuries ago now. They had snuck out of the Castle and came to this very tavern on their third day-trip. They had gotten themselves so plastered that the next morning they had found themselves sprawled all over each other on their inn room's bed. Lykouleon had such a hangover he was bedridden for a full day and Ruwalk ended up spending most of the morning in the bathroom, emptying the remains of the alcohol from his stomach.

"...I'll never forget the look on your face when you woke up!" Ruwalk laughed, "You took one look at me, said that you felt like 'dragon shit' and passed out."

Lykouleon rolled his blue green eyes, "Well if memory serves me right, you were the one who spent a good three hours spilling your innards out over the floor…and on the carpets…and on the maid's lap." He retorted with a smirk, seeing that the comment had playfully bruised his boyhood friend's ego.

Ruwalk nodded, remembering that poor girl and how well she seemed to understand…apart from the slap across the cheek and the bucket of ice water that had been thrown in his face, she had been very sympathetic! The Yellow Dragon Officer grinned and took a draught of ale, scanning his memory to find another, but the Dragon King beat him to another subject.

"Well the minute we return to Draqueen," The blonde haired man declared quietly, "The first thing I'm going to do is to dismiss the Baron D'Manlars, since he seems to be overtaxing the people to a point they can't support themselves. I know it's my fault for not seeing through him more closely but perhaps the gold he's stolen from the people can be returned."

Some while ago the Dragon Lord had decided to test a new system of the tax collecting and established a Baron in each of the 18 main cities and villages throughout Dusis. His intentions had been to make the whole process simpler but idea had gone somewhat wrong, since a few he had chosen were thought to be honest, honorable noblemen. But alas they had turned greedy and overtaxed Lykouleon's people, an event he would place a firm stop to and publicly apologize to the nation once everything was over and done with.

This would mend the damage, but not the King's guilt.

Ruwalk saw his friend's self bitterness and gave him a small kick in the shins, "Stop worrying about it. It wasn't you're fault, they fooled us all."

"Aye, you're right." Lykouleon admitted and decided to change the subject, "Anxious to get home? It's nice to know that Alfeegi wont geld us for running off for a week but I think that Cernozura, Tetheus, Rath, Cesia and just about everyone else in the Castle will." He said with a smile and a chuckle, which Ruwalk returned but the mention of the late White Dragon Officer had caused a mournful silence for a few moments.

The castle hadn't been the same since the death of Alfeegi and Kaistern. Rath had felt so much guilt when he finally came-to and free of Nadil's mind control and found that he had killed one of his companions under the wizard's spell. So much guilt that one night he had tried to kill himself…and he probably would have, if Cesia had not sensed his distress and stopped him. Everyone around the castle missed his fussing and there could be no denial on the issue. Ruwalk smiled at the memories. If he were still alive, the aqua haired officer would be two breaths and a heart attack away from sending half of the Dragon Army after him if he had seen the parchment they had left daggered to Lykouleon's throne.

"On a happier note, at least Rasalaene will be there to welcome you. I can tell you miss her." The Yellow officer remarked with a grin, which his blonde haired friend nodded his reply honestly. "Yes, I do miss Rasalaene. Next time I take a trip like this I'll bring her with me."

Just then out of the blue a waitress walked up to the table and promptly sat in Ruwalk's lap, causing the ebony-auburn haired man to blush a brilliant red and his eyes to all but pop from his skull. The wench was the equivalent of a thirty year old human woman, and although she was attractive, with long waving blonde hair and shimmering violet eyes, she was far too off for Ruwalk to consider trying to court for a few reasons. One, he hadn't felt he found a woman he wanted to romance yet. Two, she was too far drunk to hardly know what she was doing and three, had a good portion of her corset undone.

Lykouleon couldn't help himself and burst into laughter as his companion stuttered polite thanks when she had pinched his cheek and commented on his charming good looks. The longhaired Officer looked desperately over at his friend for help, but assistance wasn't needed. Two other waitresses had hurried over and helped their fellow server to her feet and apologized. Jolene, as they called her had had a little too much ale with her friends that evening and was a bit of a flirt when intoxicated. Both gentlemen accepted the apology but the Yellow Dragon Officer immediately seized his tankard and downed the rest of its contents in a single gulp, trying to ignore his friend's ever present laughter and the urge to punch him in the face.

"Oh that made my evening, Ruwalk. I never thought of you as the shy type with women."

"Yes, well I wasn't expecting that." He said and gestured the bartender from across the room to bring another round. The blonde haired king nodded and mouthed a thoughtful 'OH I see' and continued to move his head sarcastically as his friend continued, "Besides, you're one to talk. You were even more tongue tied when you met Raselaene."

The Dragon King laughed at this, "Believe me friend, when you meet the right one, a woman will infect you like a plague. When I saw Raselaene for that first time my knees went so weak I could hardly stand on them."

"So that explains why you tripped on your cloak!" The ebony-auburn haired man laughed, slamming a fist down on the tabletop and earning a glare from his boyhood companion. "That stung, Ruwalk." He said with sarcastic bitterness and chewed the last piece of his dinner roll, both young men falling quiet and listening to the merriment that filled the neat chamber.

_**Outside** _

Enyaren sighed with relief as she gently reined her horse to a stop, the chestnut brown mare pausing across the street from The Dragon's Breath under a tall, candle lit street lamp. The night was beginning to grow chilly and the day's fatigue from constant travel was beginning to sink into her body. Her limbs and back were aching from sitting in the saddle for so many hours on end, and the rest of her was screaming out for a bath, a decent meal and a bed for the remainder of the night. As she contemplated her options, Castanya, the beautiful black mane horse she rode whinnied quietly and tapped a hoof to the cobblestone road under her.

Her orders had been to get herself to Draqueen as soon as possible, but a demi-elf knew fatigue and hunger too. She was no immortal and since her mission description hadn't included times when she could stop, the young woman decided to spend the night at a decent, youkai-free Inn. Finally a scarce few hours to relax! 'Mission for the cause' was horse-shit, blackmail of the worst kind was the proper way to describe her current dilemma! Enyaren sighed and patted Castanya's neck, murmuring to the tiered horse calmly, "C'mon friend, lets put you away in the stable."

The stable of the Dragon's Breath resembled any place for horses to rest and were located behind the large building, set as large, single level barn. Behind the two white washed double doors was a long line of stalls, a straw covered dirt floor, a loft, grooming equipment, bridles, bits, stirrups, feed, saddles, and horseshoes were all packed into the warm wood building. The brown haired demi-elf left her ride in a stall beside a magnificent black stallion that was fit for the Dragon Lord himself and a just as beautiful Cimarron stallion with a mane and tail as dark as ink. She left her saddle, bridle, reins, and bit hanging on the un-sanded, gray splintering wood of the stall's door, while hiding her saddle bag and purse in the hay-pile behind Castanya.

_Aye me, it's been a few weeks since I've slept in a bed_ she thought and as she began the trek back to the Inn, the young woman passed a pair of men who were well worth a second glance to any healthy young woman (or a strange man). Both were tall, thin but lean and obviously built of steel under their clothing, betrayed by the fabric that clung in all the right places. The one with long, ebony black hair that faded to auburn at the tips especially caught her attention. These two were no mere commoners, since they both carried the regal, elegant posture of a noble and not the submissive air of a peasant.

As they looked over at each other over their shoulders, the young girl gave a quick curtsy and said, "Next time, milord, try not to stand so straight before sneaking away from your mansion."

Lykouleon's eyebrows went up as the pretty young lass disappeared behind the open barn doors, giving them a farewell wave without looking back at them. Ruwalk had been just as stunned and looked at his blonde haired companion with a raised eyebrow, gesturing towards the door with his finger,

"Do you know her, Lykouleon?"

"No, but she's very clever if she figured us out. She's the only one I've ever encountered while dressed as a peasant that could see right through it. Aside from Alfeegi." The Dragon Lord replied and headed towards the stall where his horse, Constance had been resting in. Emerald green eyes noted that a new horse was in the stall between his ride and Ruwalk's, being an appealing chestnut brown mare with her black mane and tail braided and laced with a vine or two of honeysuckle flowers. It must have belonged to the girl that they had just encountered. As he brought Constance out of the stall to saddle him, Lykouleon almost laughed, seeing that Ruwalk hadn't moved an inch and was still staring at the door.

The blonde haired King couldn't blame his friend. The girl had been fairly beautiful. Her hair was a rich shade of chocolate brown which had been stubbornly pinned up to the back of her head, with strands, curls, and tiny braids falling loose from the day's activities. Her face was fair set with eyes a brilliant shade of electric cerulean blue and skin a shade of soft ivory white. The girl was a head shorter then Ruwalk with a slender, delicate build and a blossoming figure due to her young age. She couldn't have been a year older then a human girl of 16.

Her clothing was simple, being an off the shoulder cream white chemise that fell to her shins in a wide flaring circle skirt to show a hint of smooth, white legs and small, slender feet tucked into a pair of matching slip-ons. On each of her shoulders was a long strip of sheer black nylon that dropped to her knees in both the front and the back. They framed her shoulders and helped support her promising chest since a matching silk sash that tied beneath her breasts secured them there.

She must have been a local, since she carried no cloak and although the weather was fair during the day, the night held a definite chill in the northeastern portion of the Kingdom in the mid springtime. A pretty image, but the Dragon Lord was obliged to break his boyhood friend from the trance via thrown horse-coat brush. It did the trick and earned the blonde haired man a glare and a small insult.

"Now now, Ruwalk," Lykouleon said with a laugh, "She's gone. Saddle your horse now, Man, we still have a long ride to go."

"I know that." Ruwalk muttered and proceeded to pull his own ride, hot- tempered creature known as Hellstorm from his stall and groom him for the night's journey.

_**Outside **_

Enyaren giggled under her breath. She had probably scared those two sons of Dukes with her comment but if they had no desire for trouble they'd learn to walk like a commoner and not just dress like one. As she rounded the corner that would put her at The Dragon's Breath's entrance, a scene occurring across the cobblestone avenue under the tall candlelit street lamp caught her attention.

There was a man of noticeable aristocracy with five armored guards, who had a trio of struggling two eight year old boys and a six year old girl in their grasps. The peer of the realm was a Baron, and if memory served her right, his name was Powell D'Manlars who lived in the city of Luwen, which was a twenty-minute ride away from Bin-Rah.

The Barron had plainly never missed a meal in his life, as his gut was hanging over the three over crossing brown leather belts he wore over a knee long, red velvet tunic embroidered with the Dragon Lord's seal in gold threads. Under the tunic was a poet's blouse of fine black silk and a pair of brown, knee long breeches complemented with dark stockings and a pair of the most ridiculous looking heeled-shoes Enyaren had ever seen on a man. On his waist to one side was a golden hilted sword studded in jewels and on the other was a very fat, overloaded purse of gold coins.

His guards all held knapsacks stuffed until their seams were loosing, with their weapons in one hand and a struggling child or a companion's bag in the other. What concerned Enyaren on the situation were the young ones. Clearly they were in need of a meal, and had probably tried to pickpocket the Baron of a simple loaf of bread. Damned bastard, collectors like him always ran the citizens out of food and home with their demands. The sight made her grateful that her village was small and mostly made of farms.

"Please sir, we haven't eaten for a day!"

"Hush up, ye wretched little brat, I'll have you arrested and hanged for thievery!" The Baron snapped and seized the shoulder long, dirty blonde hair of the younger girl in his fist before bringing his brown-gloved hand across her older brother's face. The blow sent the 8 year old to the ground in a shuddering heap, as he was clearly waiting for the kick in the ribs that was sure to come. The tyrant! Out of the corner of her eye, the brown haired demi-elf noticed the two nobles from the stable emerge with their horses, both probable to leave with their mounts and her only way of helping within minutes.

Enyaren smirked to herself...her late mother had always told her that her rashness would land her in jail one of these days. Perhaps this would be the day that her prediction would come true, as the 16 year-old-girl began to make her way across the street glad that she had left her bag and cloak in the stable. She didn't need anything surplus to burden the getaway.

As Lykouleon and Ruwalk walked their horses around to the main road, the ebony-auburn haired man was busy trying to firmly secure his saddlebag over Hellstorm's saddle. However their attention was arrested by the wretched scene across the street and the girl's solution to it.

"By God, girl, don't be stupid." Lykouleon whispered as he watched their acquaintance march herself across the street. As a commoner, he couldn't say a word on anything and still keep his identity hidden after it. Both men stood dumbstruck as the slender brunette walked up to Baron Powell without a string of hesitation or submission and seized the aging man's hand, freeing the smaller girl from his grasp.

"I hope you have a very barren wife at home sir, since a man who abuses children like this deserves none of his own. And I don't suppose that his Highness Lykouleon demanded so much gold for the monthly tax. I was wondering why this place seemed so lowly." She said, eyeing the heavy bags of coins that D'Manlars had collected.

The Baron looked at her with a shocked, offended face and pushed her back by the shoulder a few steps as if it was generous that he give her a warning and let her off so easy for her outrage. "It's none of your business, girl, I'll have you whipped for your insult!"

"Insult?" She drawled sarcastically, "You taxed the villagers so much that parents can't afford to feed their own children and force them to beg on the streets. You take more then the Dragon Lord demands and use blackmail to keep the citizens silent. It's very obvious." Inwardly, Enyaren snickered at Powell's reaction of sheer horror at being sassed, mocked, and accused of tyranny (which was all in all the absolute truth) by a mere common girl. It was probably the first time in years of pampered life that D'Manlars had been so disrespected.

"I'll have you hanged, girl!" He snarled. The brunette merely looked him straight in the eye with a defiant expression and said in a bold, bold tone "You want to hang me? Then you'll need a good reason to hang me without loosing face, Sir. You wish for a thief? You have one."

In an instant, Enyaren had seized the nearest guard's saddlebag that sang with gold, jewels, and bread and took off at a swift run down the dim, torch-lit street. Although she had received a Baron's rage, she unknowingly earned the admiration of a king, his Right Hand, and everyone else that had witnessed the event. Due to her heritage, the demi-elf had been blessed with the Elvish lifespan, agility, and intelligence from her late father, who had once been a great General in Lord Lykouleon's ary in the earlier wars against the Demons and Nadil.

Using her wit, she was easily able to lead two of the five guards in a chase that left them toppling over each other in a horse's water trough outside the Inn doors while she hung gripping the pipes on the wooden awnings above the soldiers. This was easily done since there hadn't been much attention to the trough in the shadows. Knowing she'd have time to gloat over her jump later, she was easily able to swing herself into a back flip and made a bolt for Lykouleon and Ruwalk, who had been far too bewildered of her behavior. The girl turned her shoulder and rammed into the long-haired one's chest, sending him winded on his rear in the dirt, earning her his horse in another swift leap.

"My apologies, milord!" She called and galloped off, swiping the reins against the large animal's flank, urging it to run as fast as it possibly could for the time being. Lykouleon watched her go before looking down at his dumbstruck friend, whose red garnet eyes reflected vast amounts silly conflicting emotions as to what had just happened.

"Aye me, Ruwalk you're too much of a gent." The blonde haired king said with a smile.

Finding herself in the middle of a back road after making a sharp right by the baker's shop, electric bright blue eyes spotted her next opponent running as fast as his legs could possibly carry him at her, his sword drawn and lifted back for a blow. Apparently, the oaf hadn't seen the clothesline that hung a mere seven feet off the ground pulled back in her grasp, because when he was within ten feet of the young woman he felt a sharp sting across his face and his back planted firmly in the dirt. Laughing at the man who was buried in a pile of armor, skirts, and petticoats, Enyaren wheeled the hot-tempered stallion around and urged it back down the rest of the narrow lane whispering encouragement in her father's Elvish Gaelic.

She had emerged back onto the main road in front of The Dragon's Breath to find that the Baron and the remaining two of his guards were shouting, cursing her to hell, and running after her in the opposite direction. Seeing the children curled together against the side of the unknown building across from the Inn, the brown haired girl rode up to them and dropped the heavy sack at their feet.

"Take your fill and share the rest!" She called and cantered back up to Lykouleon and Ruwalk, who had been patiently expecting her return. She leapt off the horse and curtsied breathlessly to them, offering them an apologetic smile. "A thousand thanks and apologies milords."

Lykouleon nodded and smiled amiably, taking the reins from her as Ruwalk was still paralyzed from the shock. "It wasn't any trouble."

"Well I need to run now. I don't fancy my neck in the hemp. I bid you farewell and goodnight!" She said and took off again, this time in the opposite direction she had first ran, the tails of her nylon scarves trailing behind her as she hitched up her skirts to allow an easier run.

"Wait!" Ruwalk called, throwing his arm out as if he could reach her forty feet away, "You didn't tell us your name!"

"It's Enyaren!" She hollered, spinning around for a brief second, "Enyaren from the village Rochefitz!"

Ruwalk felt a smile tug on his mouth as his hand dropped back to his side and he watched her vanish around the slender curve of the road and vanish in the black of the night. Perhaps it was her boldness and zest that grabbed at his interest. "Enyaren." He unconsciously murmured out loud, which only sent his companion into a hysterical fit of laughter.

Lykouleon felt his sides practically splitting, since he couldn't remember the last time that Ruwalk had ever been smitten with a beautiful woman. Well it appeared Thatz wouldn't be collecting on the wager he had made with Rath about Ruwalk's sexual preference.

"Aye me, it seems you are infected like the plague!" He gasped, earning an elbow in the rib from his longhaired friend and a growl. "Doesn't she remind you of Thatz, Ruwalk? Although Thatz would have kept a few things."

"Yes." He replied faintly, his red garnet eyes fixed on the path that Enyaren had vanished down. What was it about her that made her so...attractive? NO! She couldn't have been much older then 16, there was just no way that he, a full grown man would ever be morally correct by being smitten with a woman so young! Maybe he was coming to be a perverted old man…after all, without the Yellow Dragon Crystal he was…just how old was he again?

Lykouleon shook his head and mounted Nightshade, who had been growing very impatient in his tracks. "To Draqueen then, my friend?" He asked with a smile at his boyhood companion, knowing all too well the state of his mind. After all, he too had felt it when he had first set eyes on Rasaleane so many years ago.

"Yes, let's ride." Ruwalk replied quietly.

_**Later...** _

As Enyaren crept along the shadow covered wall of The Dragon's Breath back courtyard, she wondered where the Baron and his men had vanished off to. Men like Powell D'Manlars never left ten pounds of gold, jewels, and goods behind no matter what the danger he was in. Well, if he had given up the case the entire escape was her gain. Since that little escapade had earned her a wanted dead or alive warrant, staying in Bin-Rah for the night was out of the question. However her current problems were pushed to the back of her mind when she felt an uncomfortable intrusion into her thoughts. Staring at the floor in front of her, Enyaren could see that the symbol for 'joined' had appeared on her forehead and was blaring a bright black light.

_  
You don't have time to dawdle, girl because I don't have a lot of patience. _

A voice in her head hissed as she entered the empty, lantern lit stable. Shit, she should have seen this coming from the searing headache that gripped her brain. Enyaren scowled and stumbled over an abandoned broom before collapsing against an empty stall's door, her hands holding her head in a feeble attempt to ease the pain. Damn the bastard…...she hated the man that was her master with a passion and hoped to the Gods above that he'd die and be damned eternally to hell at Nadil's right hand side.

_  
You heard me, Enyaren, get up and ride! _

"I'm not invincible, Theisinger. I need rest!" She said, wincing as the demon pulling the strings of her mind gave a particular hard yank.

_That little escapade didn't show for your fatigue. _

"Yeah," She asked, staring up at the ceiling with the best glare she could muster, "Well, this mission's description didn't mention trying to make a month long trip in a week or forbidding me from trying to help a couple of beggar children."

_Watch your mouth! He_ snapped, causing her to hiss in discomfort and tug at her long, chestnut brown hair, _Or that pretty-boy lover of yours and your sibling brats will be introduced to my darling dogs…Well, tsk tsk tsk look at this! _He exclaimed, apparently amused at something. _Now you'll get your little self to Draqueen much quicker, since that Baron you antagonized earlier has found you. _

"What!" She exclaimed out-loud deafeningly, hitting her head against the wall in her shock.

_I'll be watching you, Enyaren. _

The brunette sucked in a deep breath and fell limp against the rough, splintering wood she had collapsed against and looked up, finding the Baron D'Manlars and five swords crossing against her throat. She was tempted to laugh since the pair she had tripped were still damp from their soak and the one she had literally clothes-lined had various pieces of women's undergarments stuck to his armor and chain-mail.

"Well, well, well," Powell snickered, "It appears we have our thief. Tie her up she comes to Draqueen with us."

Enyaren felt her pride shatter like glass as she forced herself to submit to the ropes the guards held, hearing Theisinger laughing his damned head off in the back of her aching, tiered mind.

Memories of her family passed by as her mental defenses went up, the reality of the world shutting itself out as she remembered the better times of her life. She was at home, helping her youngest sister Fantina into her nightdress and answering all of her innocent questions on love and knights while telling her younger brother Lucian about the great Dragons of the king's tribe. 

"Enyaren, I'm awarrior now!Warriors don't go to bed so early!"

"Enyaren, I'm scared of the dark!"

"Tellus a story, please?"

Never mind the guards yanking her along like a leashed dog by her wrists.

She was scattering feed to the chickens while her oldest brother Ryence ran about the barnyard with the dogs chasing a leather sewn kickball. She was sewing the rip in her fiancée's shirt while Cajeton butchered the leftover meat from dinner with his long, white blonde hair messily tied back in a ponytail.

"_Enyaren, can I go spend the night at Dougal's house tonight?" _

"_Enyaren, love," He would tease as he tried to keep her in his bedroom, "We're going to be married soon, might as well get used to each other's peculiar sleeping habits now!" _

"_Cajeton, not 'till we're married!" _

Never mind the threats D'Manlars made to see her hanged. If Theisinger wanted his only capable slave able to penetrate the Dragon Lord's defensive barrier, he wouldn't let her die. Suffer maybe, but not die.

Enyaren had been happy living on her parent's farm. She had been an ordinary peasant girl, trying to make ends meet and keep her family fed, acting as the lady of the house since their parent's untimely death. Although it was difficult and unusual for such a young woman to be in charge of the house, she at least had her fiancée, Cajeton to help her. Everyone around Enyaren, including Cajeton and her three siblings had believed her story of how they had died of the small plague that had been spreading around the little town of Rochefitz.

She hadn't wanted anyone to know that the renowned General Lahaan and his wife Elias had been murdered in cold blood by the demons of the man she was now forced to serve. With her siblings all spending the night at their friends' houses, she had come home from an outing with Cajeton to find her parents sprawled in their bed with their blood spattered everywhere. Theisinger, their slaughterer had been standing there too, holding a leash that tethered a vicious demon dog on the end that had a mouthful of blood-stained teeth. She had understood what had happened instantly; her mother was a simple housewife with no way to defend herself and her father had started to suffer daily pain from the leg-wound that had caused him to resign from Lykouleon's armies. Neither of them or her for that matter, was a match for that hellish monster that the youkai-lord restrained as if it were a mere pet.

Theisinger had been brief with his explanation. After introducing himself he had told her that he had planned to use Labaan as a manservant but finding that the former elf general was lame, decided to use him and his beautiful wife as food for his dog. Enyaren could remember shaking in anger and foolishly attempting to avenge her dead parents. Since she was a little girl, Labaan had taught her something he planned to teach all of his children; how to kill a man with a dagger if it was necessary. He had said that since he was no longer able to move like he used to, he would have to depend on his oldest children to help defend the family if it came down to it. Enyaren could remember managing to plunge her father's dirk into Theisinger's kidney but he had released the canine youkai. She was pinned beneath its claws instantly, struggling to keep those lengthy talons from digging into her chest and neck. Once she was still enough to listen, the red-haired demon had told her a brief synopsis of what he planned to do to Dusis. He had also decided to take one of Labaan's children in his place and figured that Ryence would be the best pick, despite him being only ten years old.

_"No, Ryence is only a kid, he wont be much help to you. Take me instead, I'll be more helpful to you. I can ride a horse, use a dagger, and draw up maps. I'll do anything you tell me to, just leave my family out of this."  
_  
_"Very well. From this day forward you serve me until I release you. Disobey me and my pet shall enjoy tearing that sweet voice out of little Fantina's throat. And not just her, so you'll best do as I tell you if you care enough for your family's sake. Do you give me your word?" _

"_Only if you promise me that you won't touch any of my family. And only if your plans succeed you let me come back here to my family and never bother me or my village again." _

"_Fair enough. Do we have a deal?" Theisinger asked, holding his aristocratic hand out to hers. Enyaren hesitated but spoke clearly through the tears sitting on her eyelashes. "Aye…I pledge my allegiance to you, my lord." She said, tilting her head downwards and placing her palm in his, shaking his hand to seal their bargain._

Theisinger had been kind enough to make the blood in the bedroom vanish and turned both of her parent's skin a pale, sickly color spotted with red. Her excuse to the community obvious, Enyaren had sunk down to her knees on the floor beside her mother and father, crying bitter tears all through the night. Lying through her teeth about their deaths to her siblings, her fiancée, and the villagers had been the most difficult thing she ever had to do.

Never mind a thing D'Manlars did if it meant that the ones dearest to her were safe.

**_Days later in the gardens in the Dragon Palace, Draqueen_**

Springtime was here.

Queen Raseleane inhaled a deep breath of sweet, warm, mid afternoon air as she walked about the paths of shimmering white and gray tiles that crisscrossed over the gardens of her home. On her forearm was a basket of pale wicker half filled with an assortment of flowers from the way that she had came, all in full bloom (or partly there) creating a bright, attractive bouquet in their case. The day was warm, clear, and bright as the sun shone just a little past noon in the pale blue sky that it hung in.

The Queen had her long, rich rose colored hair pushed back behind her left, pointed ear by a decorative jeweled hair comb, which took the shape of a butterfly above its teeth. A few blossoms of forget-me-nots had been woven across her head thanks to one of her handmaiden's skill, and on her ears hung a pair of elegant, diamonds. Her husband had given her both the comb and the earrings as a gift some...three decades ago. Perhaps they were a bit old fashioned for humans, but to her they were priceless. The Queen cherished everything that her beloved had ever given her.

Her dress was just as elaborate, being a wide set skirt of many layers of white and rich blue laces and silk embroidered with a string of golden vine and flower, trailing the ground behind her with the swishing sounds that normally accompanied such a gown. The bodice fitted comfortably around her now-thin waist, showing a modest amount of cleavage and a draped necklace that fell around her shoulders made of flat, thin links of gold. Her sleeves were long and full, cuffing at her wrists to complete the regal, beautiful image that a Queen was meant to create.

As Raseleane wandered off the path and into the trimmed, emerald grass under the shade of a tall, old, yet majestic willow tree, her spare hand was placed on her lower stomach. _Aye me, _she wondered, setting her basket of flourishes down in the grass, _Please let it be true…_

Lykouleon had led the country to peace and victory for the Dragon Tribe since the defeat of Nadil, Shydeman, and Shyrendora. It had been five long decades since the end of that horrible battle, and the lands had returned to a peaceful, prosperous period in time. Despite the death of Alfeegi, Kai-stern and so many other innocent people, the country had overcome the difficulties.

Raseleane had read in one of the palace library's books that when a powerful wizard was truly dead and gone forever, curses that he or she might have placed on their victims would slowly begin to lift, depending on the curse. It had been…50 or so years since Nadil's true defeat? And rumors had told that some of his other victims still living in the kingdom were finally becoming free of that Black Magic. If a curse was lifting from her as well, then it would surely mean...she would wait until the day her husband returned before she would tell. To speak of it too soon could possibly make it untrue.

It had started the time she had been taking an early evening stroll about the palace when a wave of fatigue had grabbed her and according to Ruwalk, who had been strolling by, had passed out in the middle of the corridor. He had taken her to Cernozura for a checkup, and the short, blonde haired woman hinted that it was an early sign of pregnancy. Her monthly curse had been late and it had never been late until that day a little over a month ago, and it had yet to come again since her normal cycle indicated that she should have bled that day but she hadn't at all. She had woken up sick each day the week she had noticed a change in her body and her appetite had increased.

She hoped it was a girl.

Lykouleon had snuck out of the palace a week ago with Ruwalk to visit the neighboring villages for a small outing, as the parchment her husband had left daggered to his throne said. The Dragon Queen smiled as she held a lily blossom to her face and inhaled. If Alfeegi were still alive, he would have been two breaths and a scream away from running after her lover and the Yellow Dragon Officer and dragging them back to the castle himself. Kicking, screaming, and commanding or not.

The Palace had never quite been the same without the fussy, but well meaning White Dragon Officer.

Just then, the rustic sounds of old iron creaking open came from her left. Looking over at the tall, ivory covered walls that surrounded the palace grounds, Raselaene's first reaction to the rustling vines was alarm but it was quickly replaced when her ears picked up on the sounds of her husband and Ruwalk's light hearted conversation. Apparently there was a secret gate in the wall because the rose haired Queen had never seen it before, and received a fairly pleasant surprise as her blonde haired mate brushed through the ivy veil.

Lykouleon had disguised himself as a commoner, causing Raselaene to smile. No matter what her husband did, the Dragon Lord could never loose the regal, majestic posture of a King. Pursuing behind him was Ruwalk, who was dressed rather similarly to his boyhood friend and had also been unable to banish that nobleman's step. Both men had been laughing with each other on whatever their conversation topic had been as they shed their black leather gloves, signaling the Dragon Queen that they had had a good time.

Lykouleon had been first to notice her, and was closely followed by Ruwalk as they came up to her. Raseleane got to her feet and opened her arms to receive her husband, who placed his hands on her waist and greeted her with a gentle, chaste kiss.

"Raseleane, you shouldn't be walking alone if you're not feeling well." He murmured, smiling down at his wife. Even after his little vacation he was still fussing after her from her fainting spell. Raseleane figured he probably felt guilty about leaving her but in all truth, the idea had been hers in the first place. It hadn't taken long to persuade Ruwalk to get Lykouleon away from the life of a royal for a couple of days. After all, the kingdom couldn't possibly collapse with Rath running in his place for a few days……could it?

"Hello, Lykouleon. Did you have a nice time?" She asked pleasantly, ignoring his previous comment and returning the smile, her hand still over the new life growing inside of her. Oh she simply couldn't wait any longer. She had to tell him soon! She greeted Ruwalk with a smile and an innocent hug as he bowed his salutation.

"Tetheus is waiting for you, Ruwalk. I told him that I'd send you to him the instant I saw that you back so you might want to go see him. He's probably in his office right now, and you'll most likely need the records from last week's convention from the village Kinkade." She said, thankful for the excuse to send Ruwalk off. She loved him like an older brother but telling Lykouleon of the secret inside her was something she wanted to do when they were alone.

Ruwalk grimaced and nodded, sensing the tiny hint that his two friends wanted to be alone. "I remember that, he'll probably geld me for not turning in that report before I left. I'll break the news that we're back and meet you later for dinner!" He called and began to run towards the Palace at a quick, nimble pace, leaving the Dragon King and Queen unaccompanied under the willow tree.

Raselaene smiled up at her husband, who placed his forehead against hers and grinned like a cat. "Lykouleon, I have news for you." She said, gripping his shoulders and looking up at him with her urgency clearly written on her face. Concerned for his wife, Lykouleon slipped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her close, catching onto the scents of her perfumes and hair oils. He stroked his hand through her hair and at the small of her back, listening for Raselaene's words. What she said turned his legs to water but he stood on them never the less.

Raselaene took in a breath and whispered against his neck, "I have your child inside me."

The Dragon King looked down at his wife, his blue green eyes wide with disbelief and shock. The blonde haired man had faced many enemies before in the most desperate situations and none of them had ever made his heart beat so fast as it was then. How was it possible, the Faeries had said that Raseleane could never bear his children because of Nadil's curse?

Lykouleon blinked, his hands framing his wife's face as he stammered, "H- how."

"Nadil's curses have weakened since his defeat, Lykouleon. We're going to be a mother and a father." She said, feeling a few tears collecting in her clear blue eyes, which were caught by her mate's thumb and brushed away. "I…I always thought I'd never…"

"Oh Raselaene…" The blonde haired King murmured, giving a content sigh and dropped to his knees, embracing his wife around the middle and holding her there with the side of his head pressed over their baby growing inside her. For the time being, the Dragon Lord felt himself the happiest man in the whole world, some of it showing itself as collected moisture in his eyes.

He was going to be a father.

AN: Ok so how was that for a first chapter? Did you like it? Hate it? Was it overwhelmingly sickening with the mush? Let me know if you did, it would be very much appreciated. Is Enyaren too much like a Mary Sue? Gods, I hope not, I tried to make her very likeable but not an annoying dramatic heroine kind of thing. I'd like to apologize for inaccurate spellings or facts once again…yes I do that frequently but it's only because I know that mistakes distract/annoy people so I'm sorry!

In any case, the next chapter should be coming up soon, provided that the readers enjoyed it and I get a couple reviews for it. Previews for the next chapter include the introduction of the evil dude of this plot, Theisinger, his cronies, and his motivations. Plus we meet back up with Rune, Tintlette, and see just what THEY'VE been up to the past fifty years!

Once again apologies for the spoilers, wonky spacing, punctuation/grammar mistakes, and inaccurate information. I try my very best!


	2. Devils Plans and a Father's Pride

Hello All I'm back again! WOOT WOOT!

I promise to be quiet about spoilers in the future books. Since this fic takes place after the war against Nadil I spoiled myself on whatever I could on the entire series and what happens damn near broke my poor heart. cries Okahmi is a genius but she is pulling what my friends and I call a Yu Watase (she created Fushgi Yuugi and Ceres Celestial Legend), which simply means that she kills off the best characters. IT JUST KILLS ME!

Just as a warning this chapter contains a……rather risqué YAOI scene! So don't be mortified when you come across it, I take no blame in the spoiling of young people's minds.

Alright, I'm going to be quiet now and let you guys read. Don't forget to review it! Remember, reviews new chapters faster!

**_Somewhere in an Underground Castle in Arinas_**

Theisinger snickered as he severed the mind connection he had with his faithful servant and sat back in his high backed chair, lacing his long fingers together and observing the crystalline orb that was set beside him. He had always like the chair that he sat in, being made of sharpened, twisting black iron that strongly resembled the flames of Hell, with the bloodstains on it and all. It seemed to scare the living daylights out of any imbecile that was put in his presence. The stand that his globe sat on was a perfect match of it, minus the fact that it was smeared with no red. This was placed between two columns similar to the ones that decorated the room, draped with ripped and fading black silk in a fashion that would have been elegant should the material be in better conditions.

The fortress that he ruled certainly had a fitting name: Hell's Gate. Very, very fitting indeed, especially the throne room where he now sat in, patiently waiting for the next round of entertainment that was sure to come his way. The entire structure was set beneath the surface of Arinas, with only a single entrance in or out of the entire complex, being the highest window of the tallest tower. Above the earth, the structure resembled the ruins of some ancient building but if one were bold enough to jump down into the pitch-blackness of the hollow room, he would gently drop down before the doors of the great throne room of the castle. That is of course, if his blood was that of a demon's and/or his mind was loyal to Theisinger's cause. Members of the Dragon or Spirit Tribes or a demon intending betrayal would have to find their way through his castle, which was a complicated maze of clever, deadly traps.

The entryway to the greeting chambers was made of a pair of old, worn wood that had faded to gray through the years, scratched with marks and splattered with dried blood, which were standing firmly shut by the black iron latches that were bolted to them. When one walked through these, he found himself standing at the head of the Grand Hall, under his boots a thin, worn and shredded red carpet, the center isle. Lining this at a generous width were columns that led all the way up to the opposite end of the hall, made of old, crumbling black marble that reached up to the high ceiling. The isle looked as if it was the last thing that one would ever see that was remotely pleasant for the rest of eternity, and this led up to the ostensibly unapproachable throne that stood on the high rising platform with a dozen or so steps leading up to the top.

Theisinger began to crack all thirty-one joints of his long, sharp nailed fingers, filling the hall with a loud bone cracking noise. Ha, he had always enjoyed the sound of someone, anyone's bones cracking under his hand. Hell he liked any sound or notion of pain if he was the one inflicting it. Glancing off to his left, the wizard gazed at a portrait of the late Demon wizard Nadil, although the canvas certainly wasn't as it had been when it had first been painted. It was practically in shreds, with the marks and rips of knives and axes thrown at it by mere frustration or boredom, depending on which one the middle aged demon was in.

Theisinger sneered…he had always loathed Nadil, he was far too shrewd, messy, and all in general not very clever or informed when it came to the Dragon Tribe. Although the late wizard had come so very close of reaching his accomplishment, his fatal mistake of manipulating Rath Illuser to do his bidding was his greatest downfall. No, to infiltrate the Dragon Tribe one needed a young, beautiful, clever, but able woman to gather your information if you wanted to live to succeed, which was why Enyaren was such a fortunate find. The girl was easily convinced when she had seen her dead weakling parents. She wasn't like Cesia or Rath either because she didn't have the magical or physical power to beat him under any aspect.

Ah yes…she was indeed his most valuable little pawn in his whole scheme.

Oh perhaps he was a bit of a copycat, but overthrowing Dusis to pass the time of immortality could be a fun way to do so. It had taken him less then a week to conquer all of Arinas and to be sure that all of the youkai living there knew and acknowledged him as their leader, but the demon lord knew it would take much longer to conquer Dusis and the Dragon Tribe. Lykouleon's head on a platter would simply have to wait. Enyaren needed to gain information on him, the whore called the Dragon Queen, and anyone close to the blonde haired King before he tried anything. Hn, Lykouleon's kindness would be his greatest downfall, especially when he'd rip out his heart from its strings in his chest.

Theisinger had always known he was destined to be something great, ever since he was a young child. The Gods had blessed him with the body of one of their own. He stood a proud seven feet tall and his hair was a long, dark, dark crimson red color that fell down to his waist that he generally kept tied back at the nape of his neck and wrapped in a crisscrossing line of black silk string. His face was still young and handsome, despite the scar that ran from the corner of his left eye down to a millimeter before the corner of his mouth.

It was an old wound from a battle against a particularly strong demonic cat that had guarded the caves of Mount Emphaza in Dusis, when he had first began to investigate the kingdom of the Dragon Lord. Rumor was that it was created by Kharl the Alchemist and been sold to Nadil for a hefty sum to use as a henchman to do his dirty work. The creature had swiped a claw across his face, which had been his signal to leave, and that had been what he had done, without further disturbing the lion like youkai. He doubted that the demon was still alive, however magnificent it had been.

He had long since perfected his bronze-skinned body with a lean but muscled form and had always dressed himself to bring out his image, choosing colors and cuts he figured appropriate. Since this day was the official start of his plans, Theisinger had chosen attire a little more formal then casual...after all, a leader must look ever intimidating as his plans of conquering were carried out.

He had chosen a waist long jacket made of ebony black silk with a high rising collar that clasped up the front and was richly embroidered in a complex pattern of gold threads. Epaulets of matching color and fringe hung down from his shoulders while his long cut trousers matched his shirt and were finished off with a pair of highly polished black leather boots. Around his shoulders was a cloak made of black and dark crimson red silk that was quite lengthy, giving him a demonic and majestic image to anyone that dared come across him. Theisinger had always found favor with ladies of Dragon and Demon alike, being a Halfling from each race from the heritage of his parents (something only one other person in this world knew).

"Lucivar!" He called listening to his voice echoing off the blackening stonewalls of the chamber, mixing with the long, elegant strides of his right hand man coming from a side entrance of the throne room of his underground castle. The crimson haired Youkai lord grinned as a side door somewhere opened and one of the few men he openly trusted appeared beside him. A long, slender hand framed the side of his face as the two rings that the youkai wore on his fingers gleamed from the dim torches that illuminated the room.

Theisinger wrapped a hand around the one against his cheek and nuzzled the palm, inhaling the spicy cologne that his companion wore, sliding his tongue along the wrist once. Lucivar purred quietly and leaned against a smoother section of the jagged iron arm of the throne, his other hand coming to his lover's shoulder and squeezing in an affectionate hug. The crimson haired demon reached up and twirled a long lock of ghostly white hair around his long fingers, feeling the individual strands and tugging lightly, which brought Lucivar's head down to level his own.

Lucivar had caught his attentions almost immediately the day that he had met him, some…hundred or so years ago now. He remembered seeing the horrifying scene in the woods somewhere nearby. Lucivar had been hunted by a pack of kumoyoukai and was pinned to the ground by one of their massive legs, kicking and letting out anguished cries as the sharp pricks on its feet sunk into his chest and stomach. The pressure had caused a few of his ribs to crack, and his hands were gripping his predator's ankle in a futile attempt to get him off. Theisinger hadn't really considered what he was doing until the electric blue sparks of his magic flickered and faded around his wrists and the large, rather unsightly spider youkai bodies fell over blissfully dead in pieces.

Lucivar had passed out by then, and lay lifeless in sprawled out position that looked a little unnatural. Blood had seeped into his ripped clothes, which had been a long-sleeved, slightly oversized white cotton shirt and a pair of simple pale blue denims. His long hair, white like snow and streaked with black fanned out around his head and was staining red from the roots in some places had looked very appealing. So had the delicate, feminine like face, the slender leanness of his frame, and his almost scrawny build. It had been obvious that he hadn't eaten in a couple of days and must have trespassed into the kumoyoukai's territory. Theisinger had camped out for a few nights nearby, caring for the unconscious youkai for reasons he had no explanation. When he had woken up, the slender little thing had been scared out of his wits and frantically confused. The red-haired youkai had even been surprised at just how strong the seemingly feeble demon was when he had tried to pin the thrashing young man down. But once he had calmed down and learned that Theisinger had cared for him during his unconsciousness, Lucivar had promptly fell asleep again out of sheer exhaustion from struggling against his savior.

From then on in Lucivar had stayed. They eventually began to talk openly as they made their way across Arinas, which led to their casual friendship. As they began to take over the demonic continent, their relationship deepened to brotherly companionship and then to months spent secretly admiring and lusting after each other. Finally, one cold rainy night, Theisinger's control had given upon seeing Lucivar bathing in one of the natural hot-springs by the castle fortress. The youkai-lord felt as though he was playing a part in a dime-store romance novel, spying on slender, delicate, and oh-so-feminine Lucivar as he washed. The look on Lucivar's face had been priceless when Theisinger had stripped off his robes and joined him in the hot spring. Even more gratifying was the expression he wore when his master had taken him in his arms and kissed him, which lead to an unleashing of pent-up emotions and passions that had left them both breathless.

Although it wasn't very well known throughout the land save for three other living souls, Theisinger could not lie to himself by denying that he did not love the slender youkai. Lucivar had many things in common with him and seemed to have a true understanding of him, something that no one he had ever met seemed to do. Although he always used a respectable suffix whenever he addressed him, Lucivar never feared him and treated him in a loving, affectionate manner.

It had turned out that the bicolor haired man was a Spirit Demon, a rare species of youkai with the powers to regenerate themselves once or twice after death, allowing them to live a double, even triple lifetime if they chose. They could pick their age and would be able to live as they had the first time, enjoying the long forgotten youth if one had died of old age. Lucivar had already used his regeneration some years ago before he had met Theisinger, but neither of them was worried. Once Theisinger had control of Dusis and they resigned in the Dragon Palace, eternal youth was in store for them, although the crimson haired youkai lord was already an immortal.

Lucivar had clothed himself in a pair of constricting black leather pants and a very gossamer long sleeved black mesh shirt, loose around his lean, toned figure. The flimsy thing was two pieces, lacing on his arms, shoulders, and up his sides by thin black silk ribbons. His attire contrasted sharply with his fair complexion and the sheer brightness of his hair, which was currently tied back in a high rising ponytail, and his long, inky black bangs was a veil around that young, handsome face. Theisinger tugged on the lock of hair in his hand again, signaling Lucivar of what he wanted. After a brief, chaste kiss the Spirit youkai asked what the matter was.

However, the Master was silent for a moment and startled the younger demon when he was suddenly pulled into his lap and silenced by a dominating mouth against his. Letting out a contented purr, Lucivar obediently opened his mouth and received the invasion of his lover's tongue, liking the way that it simply robbed him of breath and nearly choked him due to the small size of his mouth. Theisinger tugged at one of the ribbons that held the flimsy material of his partner's shirt and let it fall open, revealing a pale shoulder and some of that delicate chest that he liked so much.

As the crimson haired lord continued to kiss and fondle his partner, Lucivar squirmed and twisted around so he could straddle his savior's hips. He smiled, feeling the dominant youkai tugging at his flimsy clothing and the growing lump beneath him and began to tease at it, pushing his own growing arousal against it. The smaller youkai tugged at the clasps of his partner's black shirt, resisting the urge not to simply rip them, since his Master probably wouldn't have appreciated that.

Theisinger laughed and gave his hips a light buck, which caused his younger partner to turn red with both embarrassment and frustration. Why did he always have trouble getting Theisinger out of his clothes when he wanted!

"Easy, Lucivar," He murmured, "Not in here, I'm expecting a report from Basilca any minute now." Lucivar pouted a little upon hearing this, resembling a child that just had his favorite toy taken away in punishment for a naughty act.

"Don't tease me…You always tease me, its torture." He whimpered, pushing his hips a little harder against the Master's, hoping to convince him to take him back to their bedchambers if he didn't want to do it on his throne.

"Hush, Lucivar. Once Basilca gives me his report I'll be up. Humans are frail and they can't travel quickly so we'll have some time while Enyaren makes her way to Draqueen."

The Spirit Youkai scowled, "Why did you send her and not me? I could be there by now and your plans would be realized faster, and-" Theisinger's index finger against his lips cut him off and quieted him.

"I didn't send you because," He said, lowering his voice to a near-silent whisper, "I love you. Enyaren will be in Draqueen for several months and once they find out she's under my order, she'll probably be executed for treason. I chose her because we can afford to loose a pathetic Halfling and she'll be less susceptible at the Dragon Palace. She is replaceable but you are not. Understand? Do you truly expect me to be capable of carrying on without you at my side?"

"Hai, Master," He whispered and kissed him apologetically, knowing that such words weren't to be taken lightly coming from Lord Theisinger and just how difficult it was for him to admit a weakness. It both flattered him and deeply honored him that the crimson haired youkai cared for him on such a profound level. "Gomen ne, I should not question your motives."

Theisinger waved it off and opened his mouth to say something but his attention was momentarily arrested as a cloud of violet smoke was beginning to collect at the foot of the platform. Cursing the manservant's timing, Lucivar quickly got off of the Master's lap and fixed his shirt, glad that the curtains surrounding them would shield Basilca's ability to see his flushed face and disarrayed clothes.

As the violet mist began to fade, Basilca's dark outline began to appear. The demon was kneeling his greeting and respect when the fog completely vanished, and Theisinger folded his hands together, wanting to end this encounter as quickly as possible. He was grateful that the Great Hall was not very well illuminated and that some of his cloak was sitting in his lap, hiding the tell-tale arousal that was making his pants uncomfortably tight.

Basilca was a youkai of fire, much like his late demon twin Fedelta who had served Nadil. He resembled his older brother like a mirror, with the circling wrap of flames twisting around his lanky but muscled figure under the pitch black of his clothes. The only difference between the two was the long scar that marred his forehead. It must have been a battle scar from somewhere but Theisinger never cared to ask.

The Demon Lord had no trust of the man but he was a useful tool and it would have been too utterly foolish to dismiss someone like him. Fedelta might have been powerful, but he was often messy with his work whereas his twin was much more strategic, discreet, and all around more able and clever to carry out his work. His alacrity with his assignments could easily surpass his those of his late brother.

"Greetings, my Master. I have news from Draqueen for you."

Theisinger tilted his head to the side, noticing that the fire youkai's dark red eyes were fixed directly on his lover and couldn't possibly miss the hint of lust that was there. The bastard…Lucivar had inched a little closer to the throne in discomfort. He had never liked the way Basilca looked at him.

"Tell me." He said, firmly resisting the urge to simply kill Basilca on the spot for staring so lustfully at his mate.

"It appears that Enyaren is a day away from Draqueen. She's a current prisoner of the Baron D'Manlars and will be brought before Lykouleon sometime tomorrow or the day after. I'm assuming you know why she's in her current position. The Dragon Palace is somewhat unstable from what I've been able to gather. They are still searching for a new White Dragon Officer and their new Blue Dragon Officer is accompanying the Elf King Rune, Queen Tintlette and their brats on the journey to Draqueen. And it appears that the Dragon Queen is with child and is expecting seven months from now."

Theisinger's eyebrow lifted upon hearing this, _This should be an impassable opportunity. Lykouleon will be vulnerable now that he is going to become a father, much like the former Dragon Knight of Fire and the Knight of Water. And they still haven't found someone to take the place as White Dragon Officer...their defenses are still crippled. _

"Very well, Basilca." He said calmly, "Go follow D'Manlars and make sure that he doesn't kill Enyaren. She may be weak but she's a very valuable piece in my plans. Be sure they don't hurt her too miserably either. Kill them if you have to, they are no consequence to me."

"Aye, Lord Theisinger." Basilca replied and tipped his head downwards before the curling flames on his shoulders grew into a small tornado and enveloped his figure in a wind-like fire. When the fire youkai had finally vanished, the crimson haired youkai rose up to his feet and pulled Lucivar to his side, his fingertips massaging his side in a subtle way of comfort. The Spirit Youkai relaxed almost instantly feeling his lover's gentle touch and tucked his hand into his elbow as they walked down the platform together like a King and Queen at a grand ball.

"I don't like Basilca, Thei-sama."

"Aa, neither do I," He replied, pushing one of the hidden stone doors open which led into a narrow, dimly lit corridor. It was just wide enough for them to walk comfortably side by side, with Lucivar's head resting against his master's arm. "Can't you send him away?"

"Iie, Lucivar, I cannot. Basilca may be a bastard but he is a great youkai and is entirely too useful to simply let go. Don't be nervous...he'll never touch you. And besides, we're going to have some messy encounters with the Dragon Tribe and he's bound to meet his match when he battles the Dragon Knight of Water."

Lucivar looked up, the question plainly written on his face, "How do you know that he'll be in such a battle, Thei-sama?"

The Youkai Lord laughed, "Hush now, Lucivar. I'll explain everything later."

"Hai, Thei-sama." The spirit youkai replied quietly as they began to climb a flight of spiraling stone stairs, which would lead them into their bedchambers through a trap door close to the bed. Lucivar knew that he shouldn't have questioned his mate's intentions, and made a mental note to make sure that he apologized for it later. As the pair came to the door, Theisinger reached down and gripped his lover's rear, earning a startled squeak from the pale haired youkai.

"Now, how should we pass the time that we have?" He said suggestively, pulling the small youkai closer.

**_Outside_**

Basilca scowled as he swung down from the broken stone ruin of a tower that was the castle's entrance, feeling overly annoyed with his position. He didn't appreciate being blown off, nor did he like being denied the petite little delicacy that the youkai lord enjoyed as a sex toy. He couldn't deny that he had wanted Lucivar in his own bed, since the slender little Spirit Youkai was like a young human woman trapped in a male's body. He was easily intimidated, easily broken, and easily dominated, which was exactly the way he liked his partners.

Chewing his bottom lip until it bled, the ebony-red tip haired youkai caused a withering nearby tree to explode into flames to get his frustration vented before he went off after Enyaren. He might have done something brash if he went on a mission feeling irritated.

Who did Theisinger think he was fooling? It was incredibly obvious that he was in love with Lucivar, however much he tried to appear hard, cold, and cruel to everyone else. This little weakness would one day prove to be Theisinger's downfall. He would make sure of that as an idea popped into his head. Oh it was just wicked and was sure to cause a deep gash in the crimson-haired demon's spirit and get Lucivar where Basilca wanted him. Deciding to bide his time, the fire-youkai spy snickered as he began the trek to the docks, where a ship would be waiting to take him to Dusis.

_Theisinger you are as much of a fool as Nadil…even if you are immortal you still have a weakness. You should be cautious, my Lord…Dusis will come with a cost that you never expected if you get it at all._

_**On a Forest Path twenty miles from Draqueen, one day later**_

"Tintlette, do you need a rest, my love?"

The Elf Lord Rune asked quietly, pulling the magnificent white stallion that he was riding beside the identical mare that his pregnant wife and youngest daughter were mounted on. The small but very grand procession had been traveling for a good portion of the day and consisted of the Elf royals and several bodyguards and servants, intent on arriving safely to the palace of Draqueen later that day. Rune was tempted to simply call their traveling to a stop and not give Tintlette the option of a short rest.

"No, Rune. I'm feeling just fine, we stopped a few hours ago and I don't want to delay our arrival at Draqueen anymore. Besides we are only three hours away, I can last until then."

Tintlette had always been delicate but now she was six months along with their fifth child, her stomach swelling beautifully and her pale, silk like skin glowing with experienced motherhood. She had become his lover, his wife, the mother of his children and he had every intention on honoring all duties that a husband was bestowed with.

The cerulean eyed King felt his heart swell with the sheer male pride as he gazed athis lovely wife who was dressed in a gown of pastel pink satin embroidered with a beautiful gold pattern along the hems. She wore no cincher or corset due to her current state, having no wish to endanger the vulnerable life that was growing inside of her. The skirts were made of layer upon layer of silk and lace, creating a thick curtain around the mare's flank and were so long they nearly dragged the forest road.

The neckline was an appropriate rectangle that displayed an appropriate amount of cleavage embroidered in gold thread and surrounded with starch white lace. The sleeves of the gown were in a very formal cling on her long slender arms while on her elbow were white shawls of lace.

Her beautiful blonde hair was so thick and soft that it hung down to her very ankles in natural wave that made it look like shimmering liquid gold. Most of it had been folded and pinned to the back of her head behind a simple golden jeweled tiara that symbolized her position among her People and laced with several white flowers and vines. Every now and then a strand of that beautiful yellow would brush over her fair face, set with the periwinkle blue eyes that the Dragon Knight of Water (now the King of Elves) had fallen in love with instantly. On her pointed ears were golden earrings that dangled a jewel of rose sapphire, and around her neck was its matching necklace. Both had been a gift from him shortly after he learned of her pregnancy with their first child.

And settled in her lap clutching a pretty bouquet of various flowers was part of the source of the proud fatherly ego Rune had felt since he and his mate had started their family. It was his youngest born daughter, Fae.

Fae was a literal younger, mirroring image of her mother with her eyes, hair, face, and skin. She was comfortably sitting sidesaddle like Tintlette, while the soft blues of her dress contrasted with the pale pinks of the Elf Queen. Her chemise was a fine white silk with a shoulder set neckline and sleeves sewn in a simple poet's style while a gold-laced cincher was wrapped around her tiny waist. The skirts were layered by various shades of the paler blues and whites and resembled flower petals, hiding her tiny white shoed feet.

The young Princess smiled brightly as her father reached over and affectionately brushed his long, white-gloved hand over her cheek and selected a small bright blue blossom from the bouquet that she held and passed it to him. Rune took the little gift and placed it in the outer chest pocket of his jacket, which stood out from the golden embroidery that decorated his chest.

Tintlette smiled and gripped her husband's hand as he placed it on her rounded stomach, as if saying hello to their unborn child. She smiled at her handsome mate, feeling truly blessed that she had been destined to be his. Rune had gone through so much trouble for her...rescuing her from Varadoo's seal, from Nadil's wicked grasp, and from being cursed to be lifeless as a doll. At first, she had been a nuisance to him…after all any young girl with her dolls was a bother to a seven-year old boy who was itching to learn the use of a sword. But as time passed things had changed...

Rune had grown handsome as he transformed from boy to man over the span of his life. His body had grown tall, finely toned and muscled and his alacrity was as impressive as always. His waving blonde hair was trimmed and tied in it's traditional cut, falling down to the center of his spine, held back by a thin wrap of silk ribbon and his cerulean blue eyes reflected love for his family and his country. His stance was regal on his mount, his long ice blue cloak falling from his shoulders and over the horse's flanks and their first daughter sat in front of him in the saddle.

He had on several pieces of decorative armor, which was a set of thin silver shoulder plates that were a part of his Knight's ensemble, spiking sharply and tarnished with a watery blue along the ends. His cloak was secured under these and held closed by a golden brooch that clasped just below his left shoulder. His waist long jacket was made of a darker blue silk and was thickly embroidered down the chest in a tangle of golden Celtic like knots while several pieces of matching rope draped from outer chest pocket and the golden fringe of epaulets that he wore on his shoulders. His slacks were a matching blue and framed his lean legs perfectly, completing his majestic appearance very elegantly.

"Daddy, when will we get to Draqueen?"

Tintlette and Rune smiled simultaneously as her observations (and subtle ogle) were interrupted by Fae. It had to be the seventh time that she asked that question today, but she was young only five years old. But she was excited, since it was her 'first' visit to Draqueen. She had been sick the last visit three years ago and not old enough to remember her first one. However, before the blonde haired king could reply, another voice had spoken up and he wasn't as understanding as his parents.

"For the love of GOD Fae! You've asked that seven times today, we'll arrive there this afternoon!"

It was Daston, the oldest son of Rune and Tintlette who had been riding close by to his parents on a chestnut brown mare with his twin brother sitting behind him looking just as irritated. Unlike Fae, Daston and Arian were more like their father in both, appearance and personality. Both had his face, his ears, his alacrity and cleverness, but they had their mother's eyes and their sun-blonde hair was tied back in a high set ponytail.

They were growing up quickly and were well on their way of mastering techniques with a sword under the teaching of their father. He hadn't allowed anyone else to instruct his sons in the art of battle and combat. Both were dressed identically, in a white silk poet's blouse under a vest of black leather, while circlets adorned with emeralds were around their foreheads. Their pants were of matching black leather and around their shoulders was an elbow long emerald green cloak. They were quite the pair of elfish princes this was a fact. Both always looking for an excuse to unsheathe their swords, both always bending the rules, both always striving to become like the legendary Dragon Knights they had heard everyone talk about so often.

Tintlette had been happy to give Rune such a pair as their first-born children, although their being twins had come as a delightful surprise. It was a wonder that she had grown so heavy, especially during the last few months of her pregnancy with them. And now here they were with four children and one on the way…at this rate they were reproducing like rabbits although Rune certainly didn't seem to care. Now that she thought about it…he had once promised her six children, perhaps he was simply trying to fulfill his words.

She would give him as many children as she could.

_"Oh Rune! Look, twins! Twin lads!"_

_Tintlette, you want another child, ne?"_

_"Hai, my love...another." _

_"Only two? Horse-folly, Tintlette, you'll have six children!" _

_"Rune, I think I'm pregnant again." _

_"Let's call her Karren." _

Ah, those memories always made her want another baby, as she touched her hand to her rounded middle. And they had the rest of their lives to make more precious babies to add to their steadily growing family.

Rune gave his sons a stern look. "Daston, you know better then to speak to your sister like that."

"But Dad she's asked that seven times since lunchtime!"

"Daston!" the elf king said with more firmness to his tone, giving his oldest son a narrowed gaze in order to make his point clear. He rarely ever raised his voice too harshly with any of his children, preferring to be firm with them instead. In front of him, his first daughter was slowly stirring back awake from the sleep that she had fallen into some two hours back down the road.

Karren let out a quiet yawn and snuggled against her father's comfortable build, deciding that she didn't feel like waking up just yet but sleep wouldn't come back to her as she hoped. The eight-year-old lifted her pretty golden head up and peered up at her powerful father, feeling very secure in the saddle in front of him.

The eight-year-old princess was the definite mix between her parents, with Rune's eyes and nose while her hair belonged to her mother and so did her mouth and face. She was dressed in a floor long chemise of a pale mint green silk, the sleeves bunching at her upper arms and decorated with white lace. The skirts were layered with white and matching white-green fabrics with a rosebud pink pattern embroidered at the hems. Pretty as a picture, as Rune had told her when he lifted her into the saddle back at the Elf Palace deeper in the Forest.

"Daddy?" She asked, her voice tiny and like a bell's jingle.

"Hmm, Karren?" Rune said giving his daughter an affectionate smile, seeing that she had finally woken up. Some while ago she had nodded off in the saddle of her pinto pony that was now trailing behind one of the handmaid's mounts behind them, so the young father had put her on his saddle so she wouldn't fall out of her seat.

"Are we almost there?"

"Aye, we are. Only a few more hours, we'll be there by evening."

The girl nodded and looked ahead of them, just as an Officer riding a magnificent stony gray horse came cantering back down the path, his company welcome and non-threatening at all.

Since the defeat of Nadil and the deaths of Alfeegi and Kai-Stern, the Dragon Palace's defenses were crippled from missing the Dragon Officers of White and Blue. Some...47 years ago they had located the successor to take Kai-Stern's place as Blue Dragon Officer and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Unfortunately they were still having a great deal of trouble locating the Blue Dragon Officer. Not even Cesia or Delete could detect them in their crystal balls, which probably meant that the man hadn't even been born yet! And to think that he, Thatz, Rath, Lykouleon, and the rest of the Dragon Officers had learned _after _combing the entire continent that Nohiro was destined to take Kai-Stern's place!

The young man hadn't changed since receiving the Blue Dragon Crystal and still appeared to be the Nohiro that Rune and Tintlette had first met during the war against the demons. His chestnut brown hair was short and neatly cut at the nape of his neck while a blue sash was wrapped around his forehead. His cinnamon brown eyes sparkled out of a boyish face and still contained that love of the Spirit Tribe that he always had. Dressed in a blue and gold embroidered tunic, a black mesh turtleneck, and a pair of taut black leather pants, the Blue Dragon Officer had been sent by Lykouleon as an extra escort through Faerie Forest.

"Lord Rune! I've just sent the doves forward. If all goes well we should be arriving there by mid-afternoon." He announced, giving a quick bow of the head to Tintlette and Fae before wheeling the animal around and racing back up ahead, where he would keep a lookout on any possible enemy ahead on the road. Not that there would be any ambushes but it was a simple precaution. Fae blinked her large, periwinkle blue eyes as question marks seemed to float around her head like a halo.

"Daddy, why did Mr. Nohiro have to send the doves?"

"The birds are a signal, Fae. Cardinals mean we just left, Jays mean we're halfway there, and Doves mean that we're very close. They just let everyone at the Dragon Palace know that we're almost there so they can be ready for us."

"Oh." She said with an approving nod.

Rune grinned again to himself, loving the feeling of fatherly pride in his brood and wondered if Rath had produced any more children yet and if Thatz had worked up the nerve to tie the knot with Kitchel yet.

_I wonder if he's even asked her yet._

Author's Notes: OK THIS CHAPTER IS GETTING WAY TOO LONG! Lol, sorry people, I wanted to carry on to another two scenes but it was just getting WAY WAY WAY too long. Lol. Again I'm so sorry for the misplaced quotes.I didn't anticipate the legnths of the chapters.

Well what dija think! I'm not sure if Nohiro's ANOTHER one of the beloved boys of this series that dies and since I didn't want him to die and haven't heard any hints of him dying so I just stuck him in this fic. And if you thought that the Blue Dragon Officer is shocking wait till you find out who I have planned to be the White Dragon Officer! cackles evilly

See ya next time, and don't forget to review! I promise that the next chapter will contain the meeting of everyone else at the Dragon Palace and if it doesn't then I'll have the fourth chapter up within a couple days. I hope I didn't keep anyone waiting too long for this chapter!

Ciao!


	3. Proposal Woes

Author's notes: I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! I am SO SORRY that I vanished off of the face of the planet for so long. I'm just ASHAMED of myself really! slaps herself a few times I swear on my sweet Scruffy dog's grave (God grant him peace, he was such a sweet dog!) that I had the third chapter of this all typed up! But as you might've read in the author's notes I left the computer for the night and went to school. When I came home I found out that my mother accidentally fried the motherboard of the cpu so CAPUT it went like friggin Jinga pieces. I was PISSED because I spent three days working on that thing till it was an ass kicking 18 pages. WHY couldn't my mom wreck the damned thing like a few hours later! Anyways once I found out that I lost it I was like 'OH hell with this, no one likes it anyhoo…' How wrong I was…lol. So here I am redoing the chapter and hoping that people will like it. tosses DK chibi dolls to all of her reviewers THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE KICK IN THE ASS! Enjoy!

By the way…if anyone ever feels I'm slacking, feel free to go to MyOtaku dot com and check out my journal. I'm called Xx Bonny Fyfa xX there and leave a comment that reminds me that I still have fans waiting for the next chapter. Lol, it may sound silly but at least I'll actually go to there instead of leaving my old email address (where my alerts go) to rot. I opened the box the other day and was like HOLY SHIT! 0 I better get writing.

REVIEW REVEIEW REVIEW! Reveiws More story remember that peoples!

Here it is! Thank you so much for waiting so long and retaining your hope!

**_The Ragnarok, Draqueen_**

The Ragnarok could have been described as Draqueen's most popular bar. It wasn't hoity-toity but it wasn't a whorehouse either, being conveniently located in a decent section of the city where the most exciting thing that had happened was the occasional drunks breaking into song. The building was a charming, two story one with clean, whitewashed walls and dark oak wood foundation, this lining the windows, and the shingles of the ceiling. The door was a pair of matching oak doors with a Celtic arch to boot, which had been stopped open by a block of wood wedged under the narrow slit at the bottom. The wooden sign that hung above the door from a wrought iron hook was shaped like a shield with the image of a flying dragon burned onto it with the letters fancily carved to read 'The Ragnarok'. The large, glass paneled window that stood on either side of the door gave anyone outside a glimpse of the activities that were happening inside. The bar-counter was located on the right hand side, where some loners sat drinking from large, wooden tankards and the bar tender, a little old man with a long beard and a balding head was standing behind the 3 foot wide wooden stand that stretched over half of the front room around 10 feet long. Set up in a restaurant like fashion were large, round wooden tables where groups of men sat, some common, some richer, and some solider, talking and drinking, some laughing some mourning, some grumbling, and some gambling, while others just watched the activities quietly. Waitresses dressed in very similar fashions as they did (only much more scantier and revealing) carried trays of pitches and tankards around, serving drinks to the customers while a fire burned brightly in the back of the room. Torches lined the walls and served to illuminate the place, while on the wall hung decorations of weapons, stuffed animal heads, water gourds, and an occasional weapon of some sort.

"Aye me, what a perfect day." The owner, Mr. Sleeks remarked to himself as he observed the expanse of his tavern behind the bar counter as he dried off the latest of clean glass tankards to go back on the shelves. It was around six in the evening, just as the sun was beginning to sink and signal to all of Draqueen's working class that the long day was coming to a close. Although it meant that the nightly crowds would be arriving in a few hours, the old bartender felt content with the mild business that had occurred since he had opened around noon. If he had kept his count correctly, only two men had drunk themselves senseless and none of his tankards had been broken in the process. As he passed one of his waitresses a spare tray Sleeks noticed the poor soul sitting in the corner table by himself, half unconscious on the table while the bottle of black whisky he had ordered sat nearly empty by his head. The old man recognized him, since he had been coming there for years and had been one of the two that had gotten himself plastered before three that afternoon.

Sleeks saw that the poor wretch desperately needed to talk to someone filled a glass with ice water and walked around the bar counter, heading towards the young man with experienced sympathy in mind. Having run the place since he was twenty seven (which was about sixty nine years ago), the old bar tender knew exactly how to deal with the depressed drunks that passed through his doors. Taking the seat opposite of the young man, Sleeks gently removed the near-empty bottle of black whisky from his hand and replaced it with the ice water.

The old man knew exactly who this poor soul was. It was Sir Thatz of the Dragon Clan and this wasn't the first time he had ended up in this particular state but Sleeks couldn't remember a time when he looked so horrible. Normally, Thatz was a handsome young man with short, naturally tousled earth brown hair with bangs that framed a pair of ruby red eyes and a long scar running diagonally between his eyes while two other marks marred his left cheek. His clothing (which he had obviously slept in) consisted of a pair of loose black slacks that originally were tucked into a pair of knee high lacing black boots but were now hanging out of place. His shirt was a skintight black mesh shirt which he wore under a loose turquoise green trench-styled jacket that was elaborately embroidered with threads in gold, red, and green to form the Dragon Royal's crest on the back while a line of Celtic knots lined the hems.

Sensing that someone had just sat down at his table through the haze of his drunken headache, Thatz somehow managed to lift his head from the table's smooth surface and look up to see that old coot Sleeks grinning at him pleasantly, propping his head up by his elbows. The day must have gone well, since the old man's thinning white hair was still neatly smoothed to the sides of his head leaving a vast expanse of bare wrinkled skin at the top of his head and his friendly violet eyes hadn't an ounce of frusturation written in them. If there was one thing that Thatz had learned from the old man (aside from many of the rumors about treasures and gossip flying around Dusis) it was the fact that he didn't like too many drunks in his tavern. He had always figured that it was an insurance issue.

Now what did the old man want? He had already paid for the whisky… _I think… _Thatz thought as he blinked through the fog in his eyes.

"Hey there lad. What's the problem with ye? You've been here since noon nursin' that whisky. Women troubles?"

"Like you wouldn't believe…" The Dragon Knight of Earth groaned, somehow managing to sit up. 'Trouble' didn't come close to describing what his woman issue was. Catastrophe, Disaster, and Ground Zero were better words.

"Try me." Sleeks said with a good-natured smile, "I've heard a lot of stories in my day and experienced love myself. Maybe I can help ya."

Thatz offered a weak grin. He didn't think that the bar-tender had any advice for the predicament that he found himself in currently. Well he might not have been sure about what to do about his problems with Kitchel but what he did know was that he was going to throttle Rath Illuser the next time that he saw him since it was his fault that his position as Kitchel's lover was currently questionable!

"Well…here's what happened…"

_**Flashback**_

_Thatz tried to swallow the gigantic lump that had formed in his throat as he crouched in the large bushes beneath Kitchel's bedroom balcony, finding that he had just lost his desperately needed voice. Beside him was Vierrez, Gil, and Rath who had –as a testimony of friendship- shared the chore of dragging themselves out of bed at four in the morning in order to help Thatz carry out his plan. Actually, it wasn't his plan…it was Kitchel's romantic fantasy. They knew this was because when Thatz had first come to Rath with the question of 'How do I propose?' the former Fire Knight's first step was to 'find out what she wants'. Thatz just hadn't known that it meant peeking through the journal that they had found when they pillaged through her bedroom for some sort of hint. The Dragon Knight of Earth hadn't been too thrilled with the contents…most of them consisted of his girlfriend telling the pages that he was an inconsiderate, insensitive ass. But they had found what they had been looking for…low and behold it turned out that Kitchel the ex-thief wanted to be proposed to in a fairy tale like fashion; at dawn her beau would scale the wall beneath her balcony and sweep her clear off of her feet. _

_Why she wanted something like this, Thatz would never have a clue. But even Gil (who in Thatz's opinion seemed to be the most womanly-challenged man in the world since he had never seen him flirt or be particularly friendly with one) had a little more insight then he did! _

"_Take a deep breath, Thatz. Women are romantics like that…it goes hand in hand with the chocolate thing." _

"_Why do I have to do this!" He growled, "I never knew that this hour even EXISTED!" _

"_Stop your whining and get a hold of yourself." Vierrez hissed, his eyes narrowing as he seized the lapels of Thatz's shirt. "None of us did but we're doing this to make sure you don't screw it up. It's almost time, the sun's coming up." _

_Rath grinned. This was simply too rich! Here was Thatz, the guy that everyone thought would never get married about to make a complete fool of himself in order to get hitched. The plan was simple; Thatz would scale the wall and balcony just as Kitchel described in her journal with the large, dazzling white rose he would use to get her attention. Then he would recite her a beautiful poem (shockingly enough, Rath had written a few for Cesia and had lent him the one he used to propose) which would include 'the question'. She would say yes, swoon, and the entire castle would be subjected to listening to Thatz get blissfully laid for the rest of the day. What could possibly go wrong! _

_It was a good thing that Kitchel had gone to such great lengths in her description of her ideal proposal. Although it had taken some convincing, Thatz had eventually agreed to wear the clothes that his lover had described and there was no denying the fact that he looked downright good in them. His earth-red hair was neatly trimmed and combed (for once), giving him a look that could have nearly been called 'distinguished'. He was dressed in a pair of neatly pressed, loose black silk pants that had a foreign bagginess to them and were tucked neatly into his favorite knee high black boots. His shirt was a matching black mesh tank top which highlighted the contours of his muscled chest underneath an elegant turquoise blue jacket which was cut in a knee-long trench coat style. Its hems were embroidered with elaborate Celtic knots in gold threat and one the back was the Dragon Clan's crest in matching gold, reds and greens. Kitchel would swoon for sure, the plan was foolproof!_

_Thatz groaned, "Guys I don't think this is going to work out…" _

"_Shut up!" Gil, Rath, and Vierrez said simultaneously as the former Knight of Fire seized his friend's arm and rammed a folded piece of paper into the sleeve of his left hand with a grin. _

"_Now when you're holding her, just pull this out and read it to her over her shoulder. I use this trick on Cesia every time because there's no way I can spout poetry by myself, I'd never remember." He said grabbing Gil in a demonstrating hug, showing Thatz how to pull the cheat sheet out of his sleeve with the same hand. This had earned Rath a hard elbow in the gut but at least it had gotten the point to his jittery friend. _

_Just then, Homo came wriggling through the thick bushes, his fire-red body a dazzling contrast to the emerald green of the leaves and bluish white flowers growing there as he tumbled into Gil's lap. _

"_Sun up yet?" Rath asked as the little dragon nodded eagerly. "Well it's show time! Just think on it this way; you'll only have to do it once." _

_Thatz let out a heavy sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small black velvet box that contained the beautiful gold band that he had chosen as the ring. Having actually saved his wages for it, the Dragon Knight of Earth took in a deep breath as he looked at it. He knew she would love it…the band was an attractive ring of gold studded with diamonds…Kitchel's favorite stone. Although they weren't particularly large, the jewels glittered brightly and when put together in a ring of that quality they made a very worthwhile piece. _

_He hoped that what he was about to do would make her happy…she had (according to the journal) waited decades for him to choke up the nerve to ask for her hand. However, the young man's time in the bushes was abruptly put to a stop when Rath seized the back of his shirt and literally kicked him out of their hiding places. _

"_Showtime, Thatz! Good luck!" _

_Oh what good friends he had…not! As Thatz climbed up the ivory vines that conveniently grew along the wall beneath Kitchel's balcony his imagination began to conjure up various images. He imagined their wedding day…well the cake at any rate. Then he pictured Kitchel sending him tumbling the three story fall off her balcony while screaming at him to go burn in hell for being such an insensitive prick after screwing up his proposal-plan. Shaking his head firmly, the earth-haired young man knew that it was far too late to chicken out now. The Dragon Knight of Earth firmly gripped the white marble stone railing and dangled there for a few seconds, tuning his ears in to see if his girlfriend of decades had come out for her traditional sunrise-watching. At first he heard nothing but after a few minutes he heard the sliding glass doors open and Kitchel's faint yawn and her slippers shuffling across the chilly floor. _

_**Urgh!** Thatz thought, **I just hope Ringleys isn't with her…if he is then I'm totally sunk. **_

_Sucking in a deep breath as he lifted himself high enough to peek over the railing at Kitchel the young knight nearly lost his grip upon seeing her. She was a vision in the morning, why was he never awake to see it! She was wearing a pair of gold satin pajamas that clung alluringly to her curves and consisted of a pair of very baggy pants and a sexy little spaghetti strap shirt. Her pale strawberry red hair was a mess around her chin and her dark brown eyes were still cloudy with sleep. Oh this was going to be a hell of a lot harder then he had originally thought._

_Waiting until she turned her head in his direction, Thatz hoisted himself onto his arms and swung his legs over the railing, landing one foot softly on the floor and the other on the white marble paling as if it was the most casual thing in the world. The sudden appearance had startled Kitchel, winning him the desired element of surprise. He tossed his head in a subtly flirting way, grinning at her as she rubbed her eyes. _

"'_Morning Kitchel." _

"_Oh my God, Thatz the Dragon Knight of Earth is awake and dressed before noon I have to be dreaming." She said. _

"_No dream, love! I set my alarm." He replied with a wink, gesturing her to come over. Kitchel tipped her head and folded her arms, trying to figure out if this was simply a dream or not. She couldn't lie to herself…she had always wanted Thatz to wake up and watch a sunrise with her but the oaf could hardly drag himself out of sleep before noon! Well if this was a cruel dream, she would follow it until the bitter end, after she would say yes to his proposal and wake up just as he was about to kiss her. _

_Thatz had to resist the urge to grin down at his friends as his lover coyly began to approach him, swinging her hips and keeping her arms folded beneath her full breasts as if to keep herself warm (although she really meant to tease him since they were lifted in such a kinky way). He extended his arm out and pulled her close to him when she had come close enough, his nose and cheek instantly nuzzling her silky light red hair. The scent of vanilla intoxicated him instantaneously and the feel of her soft, slender body pressed against his chest sent a pleasant shiver down his spine. Kitchel's arms slinked up his back as she settled into his lap with her head tucked under his chin and the fingers of her left hand laced with his on her chest. She could smell the scent of dark pine on him and nearly wanted to swoon. Oh when he wanted to be Thatz could be the romantic Knight of ever woman's dream! _

"_Kitchel, you know I love you…" He began, hoping that his voice didn't waver as his heartbeat started to pick up again. He couldn't screw it up now there was no possible way! She nodded and murmured her reply, the brilliant gold, yellow, red, and orange of the sky behind the castle towers no longer holding much interest to her. "And there was something that I wanted to…to…" _

"_Ask me?" She offered, taking her head away from his chest and looking at him with large, expecting eyes. Could this possibly mean he was…were all those years of waiting and wondering finally going to end? _

"_Yeah, ask you something." He said grinning sheepishly, pulling her back against his firmly muscled chest. Sliding his left hand up to her shoulder, the young man could have sworn he could hear his friends snickering at him inside his head as they were surely watching from a distance somewhere. Carefully taking the paper Rath had slipped him, Thatz tipped it open and kissed Kitchel's forehead softly, trailing his lips along her eyebrow gently as he began to read in a low, affectionate whisper. _

"_My world stops spinning  
but silence remains  
You saved me from sinning  
And my heart no longer pains  
Into tiny dancing stars  
Your breath mixes with mine  
You sit up,  
Pull me onto the bed,  
Whispering endearments __"Come on baby!" You hear me say,  
"Fuck me hard, I like it that...what the HELL is this!" _

_What happened after that Thatz hadn't a clue…the only thing he heard was Kitchel shouting a storm of profanities at him before the feeling of her elbow slamming hard into his groin set in. Gasping in pain and trying to grasp just what had just happened, the Dragon Knight of Earth knew he was falling backwards but there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. Seeing that their friend had just made a serious mistake as he tumbled through the bushes they had previously been hiding in, Rath, Vierrez, and Gil darted out from their hiding places in the nearby trees and rushed over to their comrade. He had landed awkwardly in the bush, curled in a fetal position and wailing out in pain. The sight was enough to make any man flinch as they looked up at the balcony to find a very, very angry Kitchel looking down at him._

"_I suppose you three put him up to that, huh! I hope you four burn in hell!" She screamed, pushing the nearest flower pot clear off the side at them. Having regained a little of his composure before the pottery smashed open his head, Gil somehow managed to catch the painted terracotta so only the plant crashed onto the garden marble tiles in a spray of leaves and soil. Just what in the seven hells had happened! _

_Rath knelt down beside his friend. "Thatz? Are you alright?" _

_Thatz glared up at his friend, somehow managing to lift his head off the pavement and growled out between gasps. "DO…I…LOOK…ALRIGHT…TO YOU!" _

"_Eh…no." The former Dragon Knight replied with a grin as Vierrez spotted a familiar piece of paper lying nearby. Picking it up and scanning it, something between a smirk and a look of pure pity crossed his features as he regarded Thatz. _

"_No wonder…Rath I think you slipped him the wrong poem." He said, passing the note to Gil, who read it and gave the black haired young man a semi-disgusted look. Rath muttered a 'what the hell' to himself and snatched the note, wondering just what was wrong with that particular poem. He remembered reading it to Cesia the day HE proposed to her and she certainly hadn't elbowed him in a delicate area! _

_The expression on the youkai-hunter's face was one of pure mortification as he realized what he had done. "Oh shit…" _

"_Well who would have thought that Rath was such a poet?" Gil remarked sarcastically as Vierrez snickered. _

"_I didn't mean for him to get this one! This was the one I wrote for our wedding night! I must have gotten them mixed up because I keep them folded in this little box in my room." _

"_Son…of…a…bitch…" Thatz moaned, cringing as the Red Dragon Officer and Knight helped him to his feet, "When I'm healed I'm gonna kill you!" _

**_End Flashback_**

Sleeks had to bite the inside of his cheek in order to restrain himself from laughing as Thatz finished his story. Never in his years of listening to men pine over failed engagement missions had he heard of such a blunder.

"So did this Rath fellow ever explain the poem about? I doubt his idea of a romantic poem could be one with such an…erotic touch?"

Thatz snorted. "Yeah…never knew the bastard wrote poetry. He showed me the box he keeps them in once I could walk again and it turned out he grabbed the wrong paper by mistake because he keeps them all folded."

"How long have you been with this Lady Kitchel?" The old man asked curiously.

"I can't remember…over thirty years. I never asked her before for a few reasons…didn't want to give up being a spinster, was afraid she'd refuse, felt like I wasn't ready to commit. Stupid shit like that."

Sleeks shook his head, "No Sir Thatz, it's not 'stupid shit like that'. Getting the jitters o'er poppin' the question is a typical symptom and it isn't something that's new. Ask any married man, he'll tell you the exact same thing and I'm sure that your next attempt will be a little more successful."

"If there'll be a next time…" The earth-haired young man groaned as he hid his face in his folded arms as the double wooden doors of the tavern swung open and another lone individual walked in. The old man mused as he observed the young man while he glanced around the bar. He was tall and almost sickeningly thin with a body that would make any female gawk as his muscles were toned and lean. His hair was a deep jet black color short and neatly trimmed at the nape of his neck while his bangs framed a darkly handsome face set with red garnet eyes. He was dressed in black from head to foot, his long sleeved shirt being of a skin-tight mesh material with a masculine V-neck. His pants were deep black leather over a pair of sleek matching riding boots and around his narrow hips were two brown buckskin belts with a thin chain of silver links that supported a slender sword of white gold at his waist.

Sleeks tilted his head in greeting and stood up to serve him but the knight shook his head and approached the table with a blank expression on his face. Pausing in front of Thatz (who wasn't aware of his presence yet) the black haired young man folded his arms and turned to the tavern's owner.

"When did he come in?"

"At noon this morning Sir. You be a friend of his?"

"Aye…His Majesty sent me to fetch him after his misadventure at dawn this morning." Tetheus replied as he nudged his plastered comrade on the shoulder with his hand to wake him up.

"Huh?" Thatz groaned as he looked up at his visitor, recognizing the Black Dragon Officer instantly from the tall, lean figure dressed in black. "Oh…what's up, Tetheus?"

"His Majesty sent me to fetch you as we received Doves earlier today signaling Rune's arrival later this evening. 'Tis nearly five thirty and you're not exactly in the best state to greet Rune and Tintlette's children at the moment." Thetheus replied, reaching into the back left pocket of his pants and retrieving his wallet. "How much do I owe you, Sleeks?"

"Absolutely nothing." He said with a single-toothed smile, "The lad paid for the shots before he even touched the bottle."

Tetheus nodded as he slung Thatz's arm over and helped him to his feet. Just before he made it out the door with his drunk friend in tote,the Black Dragon Officerheard Sleeks call out a goodbye.

"And try not to let that lad make such a fool of himself the next time!"

Oh this entire charade was going to mar the Clan's reputation once it got around…bartenders knew just about every rumor ever circulated.

**_The Dragon Palace, Training Chambers_**

Rath Illuser snickered quietly to himself as his young son rammed the hilt of his sword into his opponent's stomach, causing Vierrez to double over in a winded agony as he hadn't been expecting the nine year old to come at him so quickly after receiving a blow in the face. The former Knight of Fire was leaning up against one of the eight white stone marble pillars that circled the chamber, supporting the high stone lined glass dome roof overseeing his son's training lesson with the Red Dragon Officer. Normally Rath would be the one teaching his son the uses of a sword but he knew that Ran needed a new opponent every other session in order to improve his techniques and hence he, Thatz, Lykouleon, Vierrez, Tetheus, and Gil would rotate the job of trying to keep on his feet as the young Illuser cleverly dodged attacks and retaliated in the blink of an eye.

Ever since Cesia had given birth to him and at every turn and jump, Ran had been the mirroring image of Rath when he was young in both personality and appearance. He had his father's naturally short, jet black hair and red garnet eyes with a highlight on his left side of bangs although this was a bright, rich melon pink instead of snow white. This had doubtlessly come from his mother, which seemed miraculous since the boy had hardly anything else from her in his appearance aside from Cesia's angled cheekbones. As watched Vierrez get to his feet, Ran leaned on the hilt of the practice weapon and grinned but obviously bored…he had that same pouty expression on his face that Rath always wore whenever action grew short. Dressed in a pair of loose black cotton shorts and a white tank shirt, the black haired lad had hardly even broken a sweat and smirked as his godfather knelt winded in front of him with a hand over his bruising ribcage.

_Damn the kid's powerful! I don't know how Lykouleon and Gil do it! _

Vierrez thought as he regarded the offspring of his friend's son who as always was enjoying the fighting lessons as he patiently waited for him to stand up. The Red Dragon Officer could hardly believe what Ran was becoming. He was barely taller then the sword he was using and he could already bring a man to his knees with the damned toy! _Well…he is Rath and Cesia's son. _The young man observed as he stood up and held his weapon vertical, signaling his surrender and the end of the session. Ran looked disappointed but mimicked the courteous gesture, ignorant of the fact that he and Vierrez had been sparring for over two hours. Running over up to his father, Ran looked up at him with large, cherubic garnet eyes searching for a sign of approval.

Rath said nothing and simply stared down at his son with a stern expression on his face. Wondering what he had done wrong, Ran tilted his head to the side as his father grinned and seized his son in a headlock and began to tangle his fingers in his hair, causing the young boy to squirm erratically. As the father and son began to wrestle, Vierrez took the water bottle that one of the maids had brought in on a tray and began downing its contents in long, heavy gulps just as the doors were flung open and a familiar voice was heard.

"RATH! VIERREZ! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Upon hearing the angry shouts of his wife, Rath froze in his tracks and groaned as his friend began to choke and cough when he inhaled the water he had been drinking as fast as he could. Cesia came storming through the doors in a sea of black and violet, the expression on her face one of murder as she seized a handful of Vierrez's shirt. Rath nearly had a little sympathy for his ex-nemesis as he watched his wife shake answers out of the Red Dragon Officer who had been trying to put on a guiltless grin. But Vierrez was powerless against the youkai Lady and could only smile sheepishly as he answered her questions vaguely.

_Traitor…_ Rath thought as Ran jumped off his father and onto his feet. Over the years since Nadil's defeat and his accepting of the Red Dragon Ball, Vierrez hadn't changed much in either appearance or personality. His brilliantly orange-blonde hair still grew in a tossed, unnatural hairstyle over the nape of his neck and his eyes while his side-locks hung down to his ribs today being decorated with several fire red beads. His eyes remained sunshine gold set in a handsome face that made him attractive many of the lady servants throughout the castle. His figure was toned and tall, standing just an inch or two taller then Thatz and his pointed ears were pierced several times and were decorated with various cuffs and dangling gold earrings. He wasn't dressed in much on account of his most recent activities, being a simple pair of old pale blue denims that were ripped in various places on the legs and a cerulean blue turtleneck made of cotton.

Rath didn't care how fierce an enemy Nadil had been…when Cesia was angry no man stood a chance. His wife was a siren in his eyes (and had been in Vierrez's too, once upon a time many years before) and when she was angry the former Knight of Fire found himself fighting off a grin. Cesia's rippling black hair had grown long as her recent pregnancy progressed, draping down to her knees in a shimmering cascade of ink while her bangs remained a beautiful ruby rose color. Fire gleamed in her clear blue eyes as she gripped Vierrez's shirt, her nails nearly tearing the fabric in half. She was dressed in a simple knee long dress under a robe like gown made of black satin with an elegant bright violet lining and pattern crossing over the sleeves and hems. A thick matching sash kept the garment secure under her breasts and over the heavy swell of her middle while jewelry of gold dangled from her neck, wrists, and ears.

"Just WHAT did you think you two were doing!" She cried, her hands on her hips as her husband got to his feet and grinned sheepishly at her. "Will you explain to me just WHAT happened this morning on Kitchel's balcony?"

Oh Lordy…Cesia must have noticed that Kitchel hadn't come down for breakfast and went for a little girl chat.

"Well…" Rath began but Ran had been too eager to tell his mother about his training session and was bouncing around her excitedly.

"Mama! Mama you should have seen me! I nailed Vierrez in the gut today! Usually I can't even touch him but that only means I'm getting stronger!" He exclaimed. Cesia smiled down at her son, feeling a motherly pride override her anger at her husband and their friend as she stroked her son's hair affectionately. True, Ran was becoming more of a skilled warrior each time he picked up the practice weapons but she still couldn't help but wish that Rath had held off his training until he was twelve at least.

"Yes, I'm very proud of you Ran. I'll have to watch you practice next time but right now you need to go take a bath. Daston and Arian will be here soon and you need to get dressed for dinner tonight." She said gently, glancing up at Vierrez and making her silent request. Taking his cue, the orange-yellow haired officer lifted Ran clear off his feet and placed him on his shoulders.

"Come on, kid. Lets go get you changed."

"Vierrez, you're even sweatier then I am! And I'm a warrior not a kid!" Ran retorted as a nearby servant opened the door for the pair, bowing politely. Taking their cue from Vierrez, the servants followed soon after, figuring they would occupy themselves with the task of wrestling the young Illuser into the bathtub. When the small crowd's chatter had faded completely, Cesia put her hands on her hips and frowned at her husband.

"Now will you please tell me what happened this morning?" She asked, walking over to one of the cushioned marble benches lining the chamber walls and carefully lowering herself into it. It would only be another month or two until her second child was born and the familiar but gladly-carried discomforts and warning signs had begun to set in. Rath followed his wife and sat beside her, collecting her in his arms and pulling her to his side. Affectionately, he placed his other hand on her enlarged stomach sensing his child move inside her briefly causing his heart to stop.

"Cesia…" He murmured, inhaling the perfumed oils she hand combed through her hair that morning.

"Rath!" She said sternly, "Don't change the subject."

He sighed. "It was an accident really. Thatz was going to read the poem I wrote for you the night I popped the question. But this morning I took the wrong paper out of my stash and slipped it to him at the last minute. I didn't know it was the one I read to you on our wedding night." He said with a grimace. His wife gave him a harsh glare as she blushed. Why was her husband such a fool at times! Now their closest friends knew a portion of the 'events' that had occurred once Rath had swept her into their new chambers. The thought of Vierrez and Thatz knowing made her shudder…the entire castle would know within a week!

"You know you're going to have to apologize to them right!" She said stiffly.

(AN: HEAD'S UP EVERYONE! Lemon-ish stuff up ahead! SKIP IF YOU DONT WHAT TO SEE I will NOT be held responsible for offending anyone because I've given you all warning! Whenever you see that symbol it marks the start/end of an adult themed scene. Ok get it? Got it? GOOD!)

"Must I?" He asked, curling locks of her lengthy black hair in his fingers feeling their silky texture as he nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head. Cesia nearly rolled her clear blue eyes as she noted the change in his voice. The man simply never tiered…not even the fact that she was heavily pregnant put a pause in that ever-present demonic lust that he had sired since he had first taken her. Looking up at him, the young woman saw that her husband's red-garnet eyes had darkened slightly. She grinned…her being pregnant hadn't paused her own wants either as she slid her hand up his chest, digging her nails into his shirt as she did so.

"Banshee…" He murmured through his teeth before he seized his wife's arms and crushed his mouth to hers, his tongue parting her lips and teeth instantly in his dominating kiss. Cesia responded beautifully, draping her arms around Rath's shoulders and leaning into him, curving her back into an arch so her breasts would press against his ribcage as she did so. She could scarcely breath through the assaults his tongue and the occasional gentle prick his pointed canine teeth made against her lips but she didn't care much. The feeling was far too enjoyable.

Rath, unable to resist the siren effects his mate was having on him, took his mouth away from hers and began to kiss her jaw line, his left hand creeping up to her neck and gently tilting it back until her slender, white throat was exposed to his liking. She let out a breathy moan when he made a trail down her neck, licking at her quickening pulse and nipping her collar bones as his experienced hands tugged at the annoying sash that supported his mate's breasts. Loosening it caused her robe to fall open and bear more of her ivory skin to him which he gave the same attentions to as he had her neck, leaving a few darkening spots in wake of his lips.

Cesia leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes and sighing happily. This was the only attention that she had been able to receive from her mate since she had come to the later stages of her pregnancy as the doctor had strictly forbidden any intimate contact once her sixth month arrived. She knew that it was for her baby's well being but when Rath had to be told to keep away from his wife again he looked as if he might have slit the poor medic's throat. She could remember when the first doctor had brought the same bit of news to them…the expression on her husband's face had been one of a child who had just had his favorite toy taken away.

Rath smirked against his wife's cleavage as he felt her breast swell beneath his hand. The scent rising off of her skin was enough to nearly drive him mad with desire and it became heady as he listened to her sigh happily. However their intimacy was interrupted by the sound of the loud trumpets that the guards posted around the castle look-outs blew as a summon to the palace-dwellers that a notable person was approaching the gates. Startled, Cesia jumped to her feet (which promptly bumped her husband to his rear on the floor) and adjusted her robe as her ears picked up on the sound.

"Rune must be arriving!" She exclaimed, looking down at Rath who had an irked expression on his face.

"Bastard always did spoil my fun…" He muttered. Cesia laughed.

**_The Northern Castle Tower_**

The Dragon Knight of Fire sighed aimlessly as he leaned against the cold stone windowsill, propping his clenched fist beneath his chin as he let his thoughts wander. Gil found himself doing that more and more frequently as the years rolled by coming to the forlorn high tower of the Dragon Palace to brood. Although it had been years since Nadil's defeat and the restoration of peace throughout Dusis the young man still felt the scars the ordeals had left him. He remembered the guilt of having his niece and sister-in-law's blood on his hands. He remembered the humiliation that Shydyman, Fedelta, and his men had inflicted on him along with the beatings and taunting. He remembered sinking his teeth into Raamgarnus' neck and his claws in his chest, unable to control himself as the artificial demon Kharl the Alchemist had installed in him took control.

That was by far his worst memory and his greatest guilt. He had murdered the man he loved simply because he had been too weak to resist Shyrendora's influence. Gil knew as he sat on Raamgarnus' battered corpse that his handsome savior's soul would haunt his existence for the rest of his immortal life.

Feeling a familiar of a pointed nose and soft whiskers brushing at his wrist, Gil looked down to his lap to find that Homo had joined him, holding up one of his famous notes that read 'Why are you sad, Master?' on it in black marker. The Dragon Knight of Fire gave his companion a saddened smile as he pet the little red dragon's head.

"I'm alright, Homo. I just...I miss an old friend." He said, just as another one of his closer companions appeared in the arch hole in the wall that passed as the chamber's door.

Vierrez let a bitter smile pass over his face as he leaned in the doorway of the small circular chamber. He knew that he would be able to find Gil there, sitting in the hard slit in the wall that was the window seat staring into the expanse of the skies thinking. It was almost a guarantee, if he wasn't training in the arenas or lounging in one of the garden trees.

Since their first meeting in the underworlds, Vierrez knew that any fool could see that Gil was someone that was not easily overlooked. Although his body was trim, leanly muscled, his legs long and hips narrow to boot his golden bronze skin had various scars that served as brutal reminders of his past. His irises were golden set in a handsome face but a sleek black bandanna hid the disturbing mark that sealed his left eye closed. His hair was a silky pale lavender color and grew in a naturally tossed style with his bangs hanging low around his face while the rest hung down to his waist in stark straight locks. That day he had dressed in a pair of white denim jeans and a black poet's blouse of linen with jewelry of silver hanging from his ears, neck, wrists, and two rings on each of his middle fingers. Vierrez didn't have to wonder why the maids nearly had a cat fight every morning to see just who would make his bed and who would sweep his bedchamber floors.

The Red Dragon Officer blew a strand of his brilliant orange bangs from his eyes. "'T'wouldn't be me whom you're brooding over now, Gil?"

Gil startled at the first sound of his companion's voice, seeing Vierrez smile at his humor as he came into the chamber, ducking under the lantern that kept the dank chamber lighted in the dimming evening. He wasn't sure how to reply to the joke as his mind had gone blank and he hadn't told Vierrez about Raamgarnus in years.

"Come now Gil you need to learn to take a joke."

"I'm sorry." The violet haired man replied quietly, looking back out the window over the palace grounds.

Vierrez folded his arms as he leaned against the other side of the window frame. "What's wrong, Gil? I know you enough to know that you've shut yourself up here from dawn to dinner and back to dawn for the last week and a half."

Gil sighed, "...sorry...last few days have been...rough."

"Why?" The Red Dragon Officer asked, casualty dominating his tone but Gil could also detect the demand to an answer beneath it.

"...Fifty five years ago today I met Raamgarnus. Fifty four years ago today was the day I killed him."

Vierrez understood then. Sympathetically he reached to his companion and put a hand on his shoulder offering him a compassionate smile. No wonder Gil had sentenced himself to endless hours of staring off into the sky...he had been mourning the loss of a lover.

However before the brilliant orange haired man could say anything there was a fourth intruder to Gil's small sanctuary and one that wasn't a welcome one either. It was the palace's Mapmaker, a tradesman by the name of Zartler Horvath. Vierrez had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from uttering what was on his mind. Gil nearly had to tilt his head so his bangs would hide his narrowed eye. Homo did nothing to keep himself from scribbling 'LOSER' on another note and hopping up and down with it on display.

Neither the Dragon or two Officers were fond of the mapmaker that had arrived at the Castle some two years before. In fact, no one really was a fan of Zartler and his appearance contributed to the opinions. He was a willowy aging man with shoulder long graying wax-blonde hair that fell in loose ringlets around his shoulders that shadowed a once-youthful face that was beginning to show lines around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were narrow and a sickly gray color and a thin goatee of graying blonde hair grew on his jaw. His build had a nearly-unhealthy lankiness that swam beneath the elaborate forest green robes that he wore over khaki tan slacks and a sanguine red silk shirt. His personality wasn't the most attractive thing either, since he had a 'taste' for younger bedmates, a habit of being nosy, and an uncanny ability to switch from being a low-life spy to a loyal resident of the castle.

What irked all of the Dragon Knights and Officers was that they had no proof that Zartler was up to no good to present to Lykouleon. Horvath could act like a cherub and nullify their opinions while making idiots of them whenever they protested to Lykouleon. Although the Dragon Lord wasn't blind to Horvath, no one besides the Knights and Officers came forth with any accusations or proof of Zartler being a lecher or a traitor.

Vierrez scowled. "What are you doing up here?"

Zartler's lip curled, "Now, now, Sir Vierrez there's no need to be aggressive. I simply happened to be passing by the tower door and wondered what was up here since I am working on mapping the northern part of the castle."

"That doesn't give you the right to be here." Gil said through clenched teeth as he clenched and unclenched his fists. What he wouldn't give to sink his claws into the bastard's neck...

"I'm sorry Sir Gil but I'm afraid that it does. After all, I'm only trying to fulfill my duties as the palace's humble mapmaker…noting the structure and passages of the palace grounds is simply one of the basics." He replied silkily, glancing around the room. "Although I don't think I'll be spending much time up here…I cant understand why such a respectable Dragon Knight like yourself would be doing shut up in here for days at a time."

Gil glared as Homo's fiery mane began to stand up straighter, his feathers becoming like quills while he growled. "Get out…you can map this room out some other time."

Zartler bristled, not liking being ordered around but Gil and Vierrez's status compared to his own couldn't be denied. They were free to tell him to do whatever they liked although he didn't have to enjoy it.

"Very well, m'lords, I shall leave. But do bear in mind that it's almost time for the banquets tonight…I'm sure you'd like to get dressed in something more suitable." The aging mapmaker replied, bowing before heading back down the narrow, spiraling stairs.

_Yes, Gil and Vierrez…look down on me all you want now, once Theisinger seizes this wretched land you'll be begging me for mercy… _

_**Ran's Chambers**_

"Hold still child!" Cernozura scolded as she seized the young boy's shoulders in order to finish draping Ran's midnight blue epaulets onto his shoulders. The boy simply refused to stay still, obviously wanting to run out of the room regardless of not being fully dressed in order to rush downstairs to greet Lord Rune and Lady Tintlette. Cernozura knew that the lad had been anxiously waiting for the day he would once again meet the legendary Dragon Knight of Water that shared his father's adventures (Rath had found they made excellent bedtime stories). She also knew that Ran wanted to see his friends, Daston and Arian who could easily match the young Illuser in mischievous wit.

The Castle Administer pulled the nine-year-old back in front of the mirror on the wall and held him by his shoulders in order to admire her handy-work. She had put Ran in a pair of knee high lacing boots, tan khaki pants, and a dressy poet's blouse made of white linen (as Ran was most likely to put a hole in it, Cernozura knew better then to put him in satin). On his shoulders was a midnight blue vest embroidered with a gold pattern across the chest and around his neck was a matching steinkirk of midnight blue silk while around his waist was a black leather belt. She had managed to comb through the knots in his short black hair and wrestle him into the bathtub long enough to bathe him. If she didn't say so herself, Cernozura thought she had done a job well done with the lad.

Ran looked at himself and immediately wanted the steinkirk off. The thing was tight and a little itchy and why he had to wear it he had no idea. It wasn't as if they were greeting The Star Queen was it? But the black haired child-youkai knew that he didn't stand a chance against the woman he considered his nanny. His father would tell him stories about when he was young and how Cernozura had dressed him when something fancy had come up. She had short blonde hair that was beginning to gray that fell to her chin with bangs sweeping over kind brown eyes set in a loving face and mouth capable of a soothing smile and crisp, firm words. Although she wasn't as tall as his mother, Ran didn't consider his second caretaker to be short. She was thin and almost always dressed in a gown of light green with skirts so big and swishing that the boy could detect her a corridor away with sleeves that bunched at her shoulders. The neckline was squared and on the left side was a brooch that bore the Dragon Lord's crest while tied around her waist was a small white apron.

Cernozura smiled. "There you're done, Ran." She said, glancing towards the door in the mirror as their ears picked up on the blaring trumpet's calling in the distance, "You can go now."

"Thanks Cernozura! C'mon Homo!" The black haired boy exclaimed, bolting out of the room toting a startled Homo by his tail. The little red Dueling Dragon had been sleeping soundly on the bed with his tummy in the air and a sleep-bubble floating from is nose until the child he practically baby-sat had seized his tail while running by.

_Aye me, that boy is every bit his Father when he was young… _She thought idly.

_**The Entrance Courtyard**_

Rath smiled widely as Rune reined his horse to a stop, glad that there was enough daylight left so that everyone was still distinguishable. He was nearly as giddy with excitement as his son was, only barely managing to contain his happiness upon seeing his old elfish friends. Once long ago he would have denied having any caring feelings for the Dragon Knight of Water but now there was no longer a need to hide all of his thoughts and opinions.

Everyone had gathered in the magnificent Palace Entry courtyard in order to greet the Elfish royals, each glad to see that the journey was a successful one. As Lykouleon stood with Raseleane on the front platform of steps, Ruwalk, Cernozura, and Tetheus stood on either side of them. Sitting on the stairs were Gil and Vierrez, both looking passively amused while Cesia and Rath stood in the center of a distantly spaced Kitchel and Thatz. From the looks of it, Kitchel hadn't forgiven Thatz even a bit but at least the Dragon Knight of Earth had sobered up to a tipsy predicament. Years and years of nightly rounds and Rath's bachelor party had built up his alcoholic resistance and recuperation, something that the earth-haired young man was very thankful for at that moment.

Rune beamed, as he looked his friends over, scanning over them as he carefully let himself down from his mount without tipping his daughter off the saddle. He had missed the Dragon Palace deeply but the separation only made him appreciate the Clan he served even more. The blonde-haired king took a few steps towards Rath, briefly admiring him, the little one at his side, and Cesia. His old friend had put on his dressy Dragon Armor, the showy black steel plates gleaming in the setting sun while a deep red cloak embroidered with the Dragon Clan's crest on the back draped around his shoulders. Ran had grown tall over the past five years, now standing a little above his mother's waist and was the spitting image of his father when he was young. The only difference between them was the locks of colored hair in his bangs, which were Cesia's melon rose color. Cesia was still the dark-haired beauty Rune remembered her to be, dressed in head to toe in black and violet elegance. He nearly laughed out-loud, as he noticed her obvious pregnancy.

The Elf King then looked over at Thatz, who was looking a little short of a sick tipsiness. His askew short earth-red hair was just as naturally unruly as ever but his ruby-red eyes were tiered and glazed over. He too was dressed in his show-armor, draped with a turquoise green cloak with the Dragon Crest embroidered on its back in green but it was obvious that the Knight of Earth wanted to take the weighty thin steel off. What Rune found strange was the fact that Kitchel was standing so far away from Thatz and with her body tilted so if he looked at her he'd see her shoulder and back rather then her face. Her light strawberry red hair was tied in an elegant twist behind her head while some of her bangs framed her pretty face and delicate gold jewelry hung from her ears, neck, and wrists. She was dressed in an evening gown of pastel-violet satin that shimmered with sequins and hugged her curving figure beautifully while a shawl of sheer violet nylon embedded with silver-threaded patterns draped around her shoulders. To Thatz the dress would be his undoing since the fabric accented her hips and rear and the neckline was low, leaving her cleavage just short of immodesty.

Rune held out his arms to Rath, "Been busy, Rath?" He asked, glancing to Cesia and Ran.

Rath laughed aloud and threw his arms around his old friend, embracing him tightly and pounding him on the back in a brotherly way. "So you finally remembered us? Airhead elf…"

The blonde haired Knight smiled at his old nickname that Rath had given him eons ago but had stopped using it sometime during his fifteenth year. However, his thoughts were distracted as Thatz came up to him and embraced him as Rath did although he certainly wasn't as energetic as the former Knight of Fire.

"Sorry man it's not that I'm happy to see you but I'm a little drunk." He muttered to his blonde haired comrade, who burst out laughing upon hearing the quiet news.

"Why is that, Thatz? Woman troubles?" He said, intending the remark to be a joke.

"I'll tell you later…" The earth-haired young man replied miserably as he stepped back, glancing bitterly at Kitchel who refused to look at him. Rune grimaced, his eyebrows arching apologetically to his comrade and made a mental note to find out what happened between the two ex-thieves later.

Having greeted his friends, Rune turned to his wife's horse where Fae was reaching her arms out to him, stretching her little fingers to tell him that she wanted to get down. Smiling at his youngest child, Rune proudly took her down from the saddle and placed her gently on her feet. The blonde- haired five year old looked shyly at Rath and Thatz as her father carefully lowered his wife down from her mount, pressing an affectionate kiss to her forehead as he did so. Almost immediately, Fae shrunk against her mother's full skirts, seeking comfort to calm her shyness.

Tintlette and Cesia exchanged a brilliant smile as they regarded each other, beaming as they noted the swell on each other's stomach. A subtle air of knowing passed in between them, as they had both experienced pregnancy and knew what it was like and how it felt.

Rath, trying to lighten the mood a little, slapped Rune on the back with a wide grin.

"Alright, let's see the kids!"

Rune smiled and shook his head as Karren came up beside her father and slid her little hand into his, looking up at Rath and Thatz with wide, blue eyes.

"Karren, you remember Rath and Thatz don't you?" Rune asked, petting her head affectionately. She nodded up at him and smiled, curtsying girlishly to the other two Dragon Knights.

"Hello Sir Rath and Sir Thatz." She said. Rune had to suppress a smug grin as his friends practically melted in their boots at her adorable smile. Karren and Fae both had a way of twisting anyone around their delicate little fingers…although this was something Rune figured he'd be troubling over once they were a little older.

"Hey there, Karren-chan." Rath said, kneeling down so he was more on eye-level with her. "Been a good girl?"

"Of course!" She said beaming, "Just like I promised."

"DASTON! ARIAN!"

Rath had to fight the urge to laugh. Karren had lost all interest in him and Thatz upon hearing his son yell out her brother's names. Although his wife considered him to be a complete dunce when it came to young girls (which was probably true) he could clearly see what kind of thoughts were passing through her head. It was a combination of complete irritation and dislike…the classic formula of the prequel to childhood-sweethearts. Or so he had thought from the women's chattering of Rune's previous visit. Karren and Ran had fought like a cat and dog, constantly yelling, chasing, and pulling each other's hair along with various other childish pranks. However Rath would never tell Ran that Karren had him licked when it came to prank-battles,

Daston and Arian jumped off their horse and raced up to their demi-youkai friend. The boys were quick to jump all over each other, laughing, hugging, and punching each other the way that lads their age did after a long period of separation. Thatz, Rune, and Rath could easily relate because they had just done the exact same thing.

"C'mon I'll race you to the gardens!" Ran shouted, jumping up from the boyish tangle and taking off at a run up the gentle-sloping stairs. Daston and Arian were quick to get to their feet and began chasing their friend. Switching mild insults and taunts at each other, the trio was gone in half a minute, no doubt running as fast as they could to the palace Gardens, where they could indulge in various games, tree climbing, and robbing a few treats from the kitchens.

Karren frowned slightly, obviously wanting to be included but a little too shy to speak up about it. She was also disappointed that Ran had not even noticed her, let alone said hello. The blonde haired elf princess _did_ want to be included but she knew If she went after them they would probably just make fun of her and say "no girls allowed!". Hmphf! She didn't care even if he was cute, Ran was just as rude as he was the first time she had met him!

"It's good to see you again, Rune." Lykouleon said, coming up to the Dragon Knight of Water and embracing him in greeting. Shaking hands when they parted, Rune turned to Raseleane and bowed deeply, kissing the back of her palm in respect.

"Lady Raseleane, you're looking well."

"And so are you, Rune. It's good to see you again." She said, smiling brightly before turning to Tintlette, who was busily chatting with Cesia and Kitchel. The Elf Queen exchanged embraces and hellos with the two other women but was distracted when she no longer felt Fae holding onto her hand or her skirts.

Karren folded her arms and looked away, pouting lightly in the direction her brothers had run off to. Feeling irritated at her brothers for taking off without much other word, the young elf princess felt her younger sister tug on her sleeve.

"Karren, can I hold your hand? Mommy and Daddy keep moving around." Fae said, large cherubic blue eyes gazing up at her sister. Karren sighed and took her little sister's hand, regarding the excitement that was buzzing around. Now that the initial tension of arrival had died down, all of the grown-ups were talking like mad about things young girls wouldn't be much interested in.

Cernozura spotted the children and smiled, seeing that they weren't sure what to do since they hadn't been swept away to a secret fort by company. Coming up behind them, the castle's Administrator placed a gentle hand on their shoulders and knelt down to their level.

"My name is Cernozura. What are your names?"

"I'm Karren and this is my little sister, Fae."

"Well since your parents are talking right now, why don't you two come with me to the kitchens? You must be hungry after that long ride and dinner will not be served for another hour or so. I think there are some sweet-buns in the pantry." The blonde haired woman said, smiling. As she had expected, the two princess' eyes glazed over instantly at the promise of food although Karren was trying to hide it a little more then Fae was.

Seeing that Cernozura had taken charge of her daughters, Tintlette eased back into the conversation. After feeling Fae leave the sanctuary of her skirts, the blonde haired elf queen had stopped listening to what Lykouleon was saying and concentrated on her daughters. The castle's head Administrator had been quick to distract them, and swept them away inside the palace's main entrance. They were probably heading for the kitchen, since it had been several hours since they had last eaten and a snack before dinner would be beneficial to them.

Rune draped an arm affectionately around his wife's waist, leaning his head down to whisper, "Cernozura will take care of them. They won't get into any trouble as long as they're with her. Although I can't say the same for Daston and Arian."

"Why are we doing all of the catching up outside here, lets go in." Thatz said, ushering Rune and Tintlette towards the door. With a murmur of agreement, the small crowd gathered on the front steps of the castle began to move towards the door. The Dragon Knight of Earth attempted to grab Kitchel's hand but she was too quick for him, expertly moving her arm to toss her hair as if she hadn't seen him.

_Just like I thought, she's still too pissed at me to talk… _Thatz thought as Rath slung a brotherly arm around his shoulder.

"Don't try it buddy, trust me. Give her 'till tomorrow in order to try to apologize."

"Why the hell should I take your advice! The last time I listened to you I nearly lost my ability to reproduce!" Thatz hissed darkly, firmly resisting the urge to kick Rath in the gut.

"Because I need tonight to corner Kitchel and tell her that this whole mess was my fault, not yours." The former Dragon Knight of Fire said, winking reassured before hurrying on ahead and joining in whatever conversation Lykouleon, Ruwalk, Tetheus, and Rune were having.

Thatz heaved a sigh and ran to catch up with his companions, keeping a safe distance away from Kitchel and not noticing the looming figure standing in the shadow of a nearby decorative dragon statue that had been watching everything that had just happened at Rune and Tintlette's arrival.

Author's Notes

WHOA! Finally done! takes a deep healing breath DAMN this one was LONG but hopefully everyone liked it and it made up for the….very very very long absence. I didn't get to put in everything that I wanted to in this chapter but it was getting WAY WAY WAY too long so I'll have to save all that stuff for chapter four, which is already in progress so I PROMISE I'll have it out soon. I'm just glad I got to ram in everyone getting together again. I know I'm wordy and I promise the next chapters wont be bloody novels. Lol! And just to set things clear, I didn't write Rath's little love poem…I have no talent for poetry at all.

Poem courtesy of Blushed Twilight by Em and Finally Together by Kaitlin Kristina at BestLovePoetry dot net!


	4. Samain Nights

Author's Notes

Hello once again everyone! Whats going on, dija miss me? See I told you I'd have the next chapter up pronto, no problem!

As always I want to apologize for spelling mistakes, poor grammar usage, and inaccurate facts. I gave up manga for Lent (ITS COMPLETE AND UTTER TORTURE!) so I'm stuck staring at the 18th volume 'till Easter comes. OH MAN I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Dangit what's really making me mad is the funky stuff this site does…it doesn't give you any of the symbols so my other Authors Notes have actions mixed in with the sentences but you cant tell that because they aren't marked! I burst into tears when I noticed this and I'm so so so sorry for it! Geez I'm such a perfectionist I cant take it sometimes but those kinds of mistakes distract readers from the stories!

I'm not sure if people noticed or not, but I've completely revised the first three chapters of this story. Everything's still happened the way it did when this fic was first published but I just went through it and fixed as many errors as I could pick up on, added a few things to some scenes, and took care of some loopholes and writer mistakes. So if you're one of the readers that read this when this fic first came out, go back and check out the new additions! The major one is during the first chapter…there's more insight on just what happened to Enyaren and how she met up with Theisinger. I also added some more insight in on Lucivar and Theisinger's relationship in chapter two. Go check it out!

Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to review! You guys know how I am, the more reviews the sooner the next chapter comes up. I promise I wont leave you guys hanging again because now I'm saving the chapters to three different things so I'll always have a copy.

Again I'm sorry for the odd format that fanfiction dot net always puts stuff into. And since no one can see the websites that I had up in the AN of the Proposal Woes chapter, I'll have to give them to you this way. My Otaku account is Xx Bonny Fyfa xX at MyOtaku. Just put the dot-com for that site. As for the poetry site, it's Best-Love-Poetry dot net. Okies now that all the confusion gone its time for more of my story!

ONE MORE THING! Like this chapter title says, this one's rated R because it starts off with a HEAVY yaoi lemonish scene so SKIP IT if you're not into yaoi I will NOT be responsible for corrupting people's minds and I don't want reviews that say 'EWWW THEY'RE GAY!'. OH geez I should just change the rating to Mature…Alrighty you have been warned…

**_Theisinger's_****_ Bedchambers _**

Lucivar let out a long, loud cry as his back arched against the crimson red sheets of the bed, his head pressing into the large down-feather pillow under his neck as he reached his peak. Muscles tensing and breath coming in short rasps, the Spirit youkai dug his nails into his master's back and collapsed against the deep red silk. His mind was on Cloud Nine as Theisinger continued to pound into him, causing Lucivar to jerk back and forth with the thrusts.

Feeling his lover's seed coating his stomach, Theisinger looked down at Lucivar and smirked as he increased the speed of his hips. The Spirit youkai's beautiful white hair streaked with black was spread over the pillows and sheets and contrasted sharply with the crimson red silk. There was a dreamy, satisfied expression etched on his beautiful face and the red haired youkai lord nearly lost himself to the sexy vision of his lover. Running his long hands down the younger demon's sides, he left a faint trail of marks where his nails scraped the skin.

"M-master," Lucivar gasped, his eyes glazed over in a hazy passion, "Onegai…unngh! G-give it to me." He murmured, opening his legs wider and reaching his hands up to hold either side of his youkai lord's face, holding the lengthy blood-red bangs away from his eyes. Theisinger growled languidly and lifted Lucivar's hips up higher off the mattress, pushing his legs upwards so they draped over his shoulders. Kissing and nipping at the smooth knee, the demon lord looked down at his mate. He was just about to let his control go and release into Lucivar when a click went off in his mind and a connection was opened.

It was Enyaren, intruding into his mind at the worst moment she possibly could.

_Theisinger__! Theisinger, what the hell am I supposed to do withOh my god, forget it, I'll speak with you later._

Her voice said before the connection was quickly broken. Figuring she had sensed both his irritation and seen the erotic nature of his current activities, Theisinger turned his eyes back to his mate. He would deal with Enyaren later, when Lucivar was asleep.

Lucivar had pushed himself onto his elbows and was staring up at him with a look of utmost pleading on his face as he gently trailed his index finger down the long scar on his master's handsome face. His member had already begun to stiffen again even though he had just released a few minutes ago and there was a brilliant red blush on his cheeks. Covered from the stomach down in his seed, the delicate Spirit youkai appeared to be close to crying.

"Thei-sama…why…why did you stop? Was it Enyaren?" He asked, moaning loudly as his master wrapped his long aristocratic hand around his arousal and began stroking it in tune with the movement of their hips.

"Hush, Lucivar." Theisinger said shortly, leaning down to kiss his mate, bending his legs down so his knees pressed against his shoulders. Lucivar opened his jaw and cried out into the youkai lord's mouth. The feel of being pinned down so closely by his master and filled by him was nearly overpowering.

_Thei-sama__…_He thought before he felt the red-haired youkai lord begin to pick up his pace again, this time even faster and harder then before. Sensing that his mate was coming close to his release, Lucivar began to run his hands up and down Theisinger's powerful chest.

"H-hai, Thei-sama!" He cried, his second release spilling over his master's hand in a glossy white coating. After going twice in such a short span, Lucivar's exhaustion was temporarily forgotten and his desire to please his mate took control.

"Lucivar…" Theisinger growled and slipped his index and middle fingers into his lover's mouth. The Spirit youkai grinned and began drinking in his own seed, sucking and licking the demon lord's fingers in a sexy, provocative way. Unable to control himself any longer, Theisinger seized up violently and released himself into Lucivar with a long jerk of his hips and a fiercely loud growl.

Thoroughly spent but not wanting to crush his smaller, fragile lover under his weight, the youkai lord skillfully turned them over so he lay on his back with Lucivar sprawled on top of him. While the Spirit demon gasped and tried to catch his breath, Theisinger stared up at the stone ceiling of his chambers and smiled. His pretty companion had been such a clumsy, inexperienced little thing when they had first started making love, which had both amused and aroused the red haired youkai greatly. But even now, after being sexually active for so long, Lucivar still had such an innocent quirk to him. The way would sigh, move, yell, and beg could easily send him over the edge but the demon lord had no intention of ever telling his mate this. Not out of pride, but more out of precaution…his lover could be a mischievous one when it came to trying out new tricks for sex. Theisinger knew that he would never be able to deny Lucivar a thing he ever asked for if he ever withheld his favors.

"Thei-sama…gomen-ne." Lucivar said, lifting his head and looking his master in the eye.

"Why are you babbling apologies, love?"

"Because…" He stammered, the blush on his face returning, "You…you only came once and I…"

Theisinger rolled his eyes and put a finger to his mate's lips. "Shush love…I prefer to pleasure you. You're beautiful just after you release…so innocent even though we've made it countless times before. That's the way that I like it the most, so don't ever change."

Lucivar nodded and snuggled closer to his master, feeling his chi reach out to bring the blankets up over them so neither one of them had to move. The Spirit youkai couldn't help but giggle. Theisinger was such a dream during these times…his normal, aristocratic speech mixed with slang was such a change from the hard, smooth words he used in court. He could be so lazy sometimes too, using magic to do everything from bring the sheets over them to making their clothes lay themselves on the bed.

"What are you giggling about?"

"Nothing, Thei-sama…but earlier, when you stopped the seal appeared on your forehead. What did Enyaren want? Did she…see us?" The bicolor haired youkai asked shyly, looking up at his master and tugging the sheets further up over them.

Theisinger sighed. This was one of the most annoying things about the Mind Fusion Curse he had placed on Enyaren before she departed for Draqueen. Although very useful, that particular branch of Black Magic was one of the most dangerous kind to use and was difficult to perform correctly.

"You know how the spell works, Lucivar, she can reach into my mind as deeply as I can reach into hers. I might have a few things to dangle over her head to keep her in line but what she did today was purely by accident. Yes she probably did see you through my eyes because she stopped suddenly and broke the connection. It was better her then I however…the concentration would have distracted me even further."

"Master Theisinger, do you think she'll be able to accomplish everything you need to happen? What if that silly Baron has her killed before they arrive at Draqueen? And what happens if the Dragon Tribe find out about your plans?"

Theisinger turned his eyes back towards the ceiling, "Enyaren, although feeble and half-human, is capable of dealing with that pig of a baron by herself. As for the Dragon Tribe we'll deal with them as we go along. You have nothing to worry about, Lucivar. Even if Lykouleon and his fools manage to get passed the fortress gates I wont let anyone hurt you, surely you know that by now."

"I know…but I'm worried about you. You're the one they'll be after for sure. What if the plan fails? I-I'm not trying to say that it will of course, but there are a lot of variables for the result that your plans. Promise you won't risk your life? If this does fail can we run away and live somewhere they'll never find us?"

The youkai lord laughed out loud and kissed the top of Lucivar's head. So naïve…"Yes…yes I suppose I can promise that. And I think I'll be able to tolerate living like that imbecile alchemist Kharl does with his plaything Garfacky as long as you're there with me." He said honestly, although swallowing his pride enough to fulfill the promise would be a challenge.

Lucivar sighed and relaxed finding Theisinger's hand under the sheets and lacing his fingers with his. He didn't think he could bear it if Theisinger would throw his life away for the sake if his plans. "Arigatou Master Theisinger…"

They kissed laungidly and lazily, their tongues slowly teasing each other. "Go to sleep, now, Lucivar," Theisinger said after a few minutes, "I need to know what is happening with Enyaren before I rest." He said, giving his pretty lover a final chaste kiss on the lips. Pouting slightly, Lucivar nodded and obediently laid his head on Theisinger's chest, completely exhausted from the evening's activities. Once the red-haired youkai felt certain that his mate had fallen asleep, he murmured a word under his breath and the symbol Lucivar had noticed appeared on his forehead.

It was an elegant mark, a symbol meaning 'joined' in the Dragon Tribe's Gaelic language which gave off a brilliant black light whenever it appeared. Feeling the connection being made and the layers of Enyaren's mind opening up to his intrusion, Theisinger closed his eyes in order for better concentration.

"Enyaren, what was it you wanted when you interrupted me earlier."

_Stop making it sound like I meant to 'interrupt', Theisinger. I need to know exactly how you want me to deal with D'Manlars. Right now we're in some inn in the Red Lantern district of Draqueen. D'Manlars is with a whore right now just in case you wanted to know. _

"Watch your voice, Enyaren." Theisinger said calmly, yet sharply. "I want you to stay put, wherever you are until I can see what the situation is with D'Manlars and his cronies. Once I decide I'll give you further instruction."

Whispering the incantation that ended the spell, Theisinger closed the connection he had to his servant and relaxed. Being with Lucivar had put him in a good mood and he didn't want to have it spoiled by such an unworthy pig like D'Manlars. Summoning his chi again, Theisinger stretched his mind outwards, hundreds of miles across oceans and lands until it surrounded the house that was emitting Enyaren's spiritual signature.

Concentrating on the interior of the old wood and stone inn, Theisinger could only describe it as broken down and ramshackle. Snaking his psychic abilities inside the rooms, the Demon Lord noted the activity that was occurring in the rooms on the far corner of the second floor, where D'Manlars and his lackeys dwelled. In the first room he could see the soldiers drinking and laughing with two scantily clad serving wenches. Enyaren was locked in the closet, probably because it would have appeared suspicious to be toting around a young girl in ropes. And in the next room Theisinger didn't need more then a glance to see just what kind of activity the Baron was currently indulging in. A look at the wench's naked figure bouncing sporadically over a very fat man was enough for him.

Cringing as he retreated, Theisinger opened his eyes and looked down at Lucivar. The slender youkai would probably be jealous if he ever found out that he had just looked at a woman that once would have probably appealed to him. _Aye me, my pet…_he thought sentimentally, stroking Lucivar's white-black hair. _You're making me soft. _

Sighing, Theisinger thought his options over and after a moment, decided on a course of action. Once again he chanted the incantation that would activate the link formed between him and his servant and a bright black light shone brilliantly from his forehead.

"Enyaren," He said with a smirk, "I've made a decision."

**_The Kitchens of the _****_Dragon_****_Palace_**

Karren and Fae looked around them in awe as they followed Cernozura through a set of grand mahogany doors that were carved with images of various food platters, eating utensils, and goblets. Both of them had temporarily forgotten their hunger as they took in the new scenery. The corridors of the Dragon Palace were beautiful, painted very white with lovely carvings of the native Gaelic knots and designs while wrought iron sconces illuminated the hall brightly as day. Occasionally there was a portrait or a statue of one of the royals or a dueling dragon and the carpet was a rich dark crimson red color. When they had turned a corner that was tucked away in a dead-end, both Elf girls caught scent of the aromas that were drifting out of the kitchen chambers. When they entered the kitchen they were greeted with another very pleasant sight.

The kitchens of the Dragon Palace were nearly better then the one they had known all their lives. The chamber was a large one with shining white tile floors with matching countertops, which lined and were currently scattered with various dishes ranging from fruit platters to stuffed pheasants. The walls had some paintings hanging on them decoratively, depicting meals and foods. In the center of the room was a very large table with a smooth marble surface while overhead hung ladles and spoons in all sorts of sizes and types on a wrought-iron rack. Several servants and chefs were bustling around the brightly light chamber, carrying trays of folded napkins, platters, and sets of the finer silverware of the castle.

Cernozura led Karren and Fae over to the large table in the center of the room and pulled out two of the tall wooden stools there for them. Karren managed to get herself seated but Fae, being so petite due to her young age, needed assistance from the Castle Administrator.

"So tell me how old you two girls are?" Cernozura asked, placing a beautiful porcelain bread plate in front of each of the elf princesses. Seated in two of the tall stools in front of a long strip of kitchen-counter, the two blonde haired girls each picked up their sweet-bun although Karren took the time to put her napkin in her lap before eating. Seeing what her sister had just done, Fae set her pastry down and mimicked her older sister, daintily laying the white fabric in her lap before continuing eating.

Fae looked up at Cernozura and smiled. Knowing that it wasn't lady-like to speak with her mouth open but not wanting her sister to talk for her, the five year old girl held up her hand for Cernozura to see her splayed fingers.

"So you're five then, Fae?" The blonde haired woman said kindly, "My you've grown up so much. The last time I met you it was when you were first born. And what about you Karren?"

"I'm nine years old, Lady Cernozura. I remember the last time we visited; we couldn't bring Fae because she was sick." The nine-year-old princess stated as a matter-of-factly, earning an irritated look from her younger sister.

"Well it's certainly nice to see you both again." The castle Administrator said as she glanced out of the arching kitchen windows above the large wooden barrel-and-pump sink on the wide right hand stone wall. Just outside those windows was a small section of the gardens that breeched off from the main courtyards and was mainly used as a small getaway for a stressed castle inhabitant. Cernozura didn't have to strain her ears to hear the loud, boisterous play of Daston, Arian, and Ran as they ran wildly after each other over the palace grounds. She smiled, her eyes turning upwards to admire the moon that was visible through the veil of leaves and trees just outside the window.

_It's nice to have some young life in this Castle. _

**_The Palace Stables_**

Nohiro whistled a lively folk tune to himself as he began to put Lootah away, the last of the dazzling white stallions the Elvish Royals had ridden to Draqueen on. He had dismissed the last of the stable hands since they had lost all interest in the time-consuming task of rubbing down two dozen horses and caring for the elegant jeweled equipment they wore. The Blue Dragon Officer smiled wryly to himself, not blaming the teenage hands for being fed up with the daunting chores because he could remember a time when he himself considered unsaddling twenty four royal white stallions a cruel and unusual punishment. They probably had girlfriends waiting for them somehow so who was he to hold them to do a chore he could easily do himself?

He had sent Miyabi off with Hanakusuku and Shian earlier so he could get a bit of peace while he worked. He loved the three feisty faeries like sisters but when they began to bicker about the trivial things in his life the racket was practically unbearable. About two or three decades ago he had encountered Hanakusuku again in the Faerie Forest, unable to believe that his Power of Rebirth had finally taken effect. A few short years later Shian had appeared again as well. Although Miyabi would never admit it, Nohiro could tell that she was happy to have both of her friends back again after such a long and seemingly hopeless wait.

The Blue Dragon Officer began to pet Lootah's mane as the white stallion bent his head down and began to nibble the straw that had been placed in his small stall trough. Nohiro sighed as he regarded the animal, half-envying the simple life it led. Discovering he was the Blue Dragon Officer had been as much as a shock to his companions as well as himself and it only proved to make his life a little more complicated. Nohiro had spent so much of his life traveling that settling down to a political life in service of the Dragon King Lykouleon was nothing short of a culture shock. He was honored to have been selected as the new Officer and knew his duties were of dire importance to the Dragon Empire but the young man couldn't deny that he missed certain elements of his old life.

Nohiro was also becoming even more lonesome for what he had set out to find in the first place all those years ago: a life companion of Faerie heritage. After the war against the demons and he had been appointed as the Blue Dragon Officer, his duties required him to stay close to Draqueen. Unless he was on an Ambassador mission in Dusis, the chestnut haired man had little time to spare traveling to the Faerie Forest in search of a girlfriend.

Throughout the years that Lord Rune and his Lady Tintlette had come to visit, he had always been allowed to accompany them to and back from Draqueen with a week or two worth of visiting time in the Forests. For this, Nohiro was very grateful to Lykouleon, who must have known something about his personal dreams. Perhaps Rune had told him during a visit once long ago? Whatever the case was, the Blue Dragon Officer didn't regret accepting the position in the King's service but at the same time he couldn't deny that he missed certain aspects of previous life.

Smiling and beginning to quietly sing a tune that he found kept Elvish stallions from becoming skittish, Nohiro set to work unsaddling Lootah, carefully placing the jeweled leather seat on the stall's door. Picking up one of the grooming brushes from the bucket he had brought, the brunette Officer began to cheerfully rub the elegant horse down. Lootah nickered happily as Nohiro brushed his gleaming white coat, obviously happy to have the dust and sweat swept off of him.

Nohiro eventually became so caught up with his task that he didn't hear the stable doors being carefully eased open and the gentle swishing of long, soft cotton skirts.

Having just come in as quietly as she possibly could, Ririkaina replaced the latch on the wooden stable door and looked down the long dust-floor corridor of the palace stables, her delicate pointed ears listening closely. Nohiro was singing an old Elvish song about a man singing to his newly wed bride, causing her to blush mildly as she crept up to Lootah's new stable and pressed her back against the wooden planks separating the two stalls.

_  
"When the moon on a cloud cast night  
Hung above the tree tops' height  
You sang me of some distant past  
That made my heart beat strong and fast  
Now I know I'm home at last."_

Ririkaina slowed her breathing so she wouldn't disrupt Nohiro as she carefully turned her head to peer into the horse stall in order to get a glimpse of him. Although she was embarrassed about spying on him, Ririkaina couldn't help feeling infatuated with Nohiro since his arrival to the Faerie Forest bringing an invitation to the Elf King Rune. She could remember when she had first seen him wandering around the forest, surrounded by tiny faeries all doting and chattering over him as he knelt by the stream to wash away the sweat on his face. Having been dismissed from her duties by Lady Tintlette for an hour, Ririkaina had decided to spend her break by the Aemba rivulet skipping stones and watching the faeries dance across the water's surface.

_"You offered me an eagle's wing  
That to the sun I might soar and sing  
And if I heard the owl's cry  
Into the forest I would fly  
And in its darkness find you by."_

She couldn't lie to herself by denying that her curiosity about Nohiro wasn't helped by his appearance. His handsome face was gentle and demure set with eyes that looked on all living things kindly. His chestnut brown hair was a little mussed from putting away so many horses and his clothing were a little dusty as well. The bright torchlight made it easy for the elvish girl to see that the rich navy blue of his tunic suited him, as well as the sleek leather pants and black mesh turtleneck. After slipping away from him unnoticed at Aemba, Ririkaina had asked a few of the other handmaidens about the Blue Dragon Officer but none of them knew very much about him.

_"And so our love's not a simple thing  
Nor our truths unwavering  
But like the moon's pull on the tide  
Our fingers touch, our hearts collide  
I'll be a moonsbreath by your side."_

Ririkaina couldn't figure out just why Nohiro touched a cord somewhere in her heart. It was as if she knew him somewhere before in a previous life. Everything about him, his voice, his gentle demeanor, his appearance, and his mannerisms were like a memory of a dream to her.

_"And so our love's not a simple thing  
Nor our truths unwavering  
But like the moon's pull on the tide  
Our fingers touch, our hearts collide  
I'll be a moonsbreath by your side."_

Nohiro paused in his work upon hearing a small bang on the wooden planks of the stall's door and looked over his shoulder. His cinnamon brown eyes widened as he regarded his visitor, standing just inside the stall door with a look of uncertainness expressed on her face.

The elf in front of him was nothing short of a dream like vision. She had a medium, slender build with a delicate frame and soft white skin. Her pretty face was set with large clear blue eyes with lengthy jet black eyelashes. Straight sky blue hair was piled on top of her hair in a swirling bun decorated with a string of yellow honeysuckle blossoms. Several strands hung curling down from the top of her hair and hung around her shoulders while her bangs hung neat and straight across her forehead. Her gown was simple, consisting of an off the shoulder white blouse tucked into a black leather cincher. Her lengthy skirts were layered a navy blue color with a yellow floral print embroidered, efficiently hiding her shoes.

The Blue Dragon Officer was thunderstruck. The girl had the face of the woman that had haunted his dreams for decades.

_Silk…_

"Uh…" The elf began, "I'm sorry to disturb you, it's just that Lord Rune sent me to find you."

Nohiro continued to stare at the serving maid in a mild stupor. She must have been one of the Ladies in Waiting that Queen Tintlette had brought with her from the Faerie Forest. He wondered why he had never seen her before, since he had been all over the Elf palace and had spent a lot of time with the Elf Royals…she was obviously one of the favored serving girls of Lady Tintlette, he could easily see that from the golden jewelry that hung from her pointed ears, neck, and wrists.

"Lord Nohiro?"

Suddenly remembering himself, Nohiro closed his jaw and blinked a few times. "Forgive me, I'm sorry for staring…you just…never mind. Lord Rune summoned me?"

"Yes he did but he also asked me to tell you not to hurry and to finish whatever task you were doing before going to see him."

Lootah snorted and stomped his hoof, landing a hit on Nohiro's toe as he did so. Swearing mildly in pain, the Blue Dragon Officer threw down the brush and glared at the horse as he hopped on one foot while cradling the abused limb in his hands. Ririkaina had to cover her mouth in attempt to hide her laughter but couldn't hold back all of her giggles.

"Lootah…He doesn't like standing in his sweat." She said, coming into the stall and picking up the fallen brush as Nohiro fell on his rear on a pile of hay in the corner, glaring bitterly at the horse as he rubbed his foot.

"You know this horse?"

"Aye…I rode him from the Faerie Forest o'er the past three days." She replied, sliding her hand through the leather strap of the brush and beginning to stroke the bristles across Lootah's gleaming white coat. Nohiro nodded and stood up, the ache in his foot fading away to a dull throb. For a few minutes he watched the serving girl, trying but miserably failing not to let his eyes settle on her shapely hips and rear end.

"Wh-whats your name?" He asked finally, snapping himself out of his boyish stupor.

"It's Ririkaina, milord." She said, looking over her shoulder, only to find him standing right beside her. The blue haired girl blushed faintly as he placed his hand over hers holding the brush, smiling genuinely and rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

_After all this time…_He thought happily as a wide smile broke onto his face. "Nohiro. Just call me Nohiro."

"Alright Lor-…Nohiro."

**_The Red Lantern District, Draqueen_**

Enyaren scowled darkly as Theisinger withdrew from her mind, leaving her to sit a while longer miserable in the dim, confining closet that D'Manlars had literally tossed her into. With her wrists, knees, elbows, and ankles bound together by ropes, the demi-elf could hardly do much else then to sit there in the dark and wait for her superior to give her instructions on how to proceed with the plans.

His methods were hardly appreciated. Enyaren could remember when he had two of his demon servants retrieve her from her home in the middle of one summer night once her younger siblings and fiancée had fallen asleep. Like most of Theisinger's servants, the two demons were psychics. One was able to put up a defensive barrier around them while the other was able to teleport them across the continent of Dusis and deep into the lands of Arinas. She could remember being scared out of her wits, hardly able to comprehend what was happening to her. She didn't like being dragged down passage after passage of nothing but cold stone and darkness, tripping over her skirts as she was pushed and shoved along the corridors.

Bowing to Theisinger had been the worst part of the whole deal. She didn't like bending her knee to the demon that had murdered her parents in cold blood but she knew that if she didn't, her younger siblings would be the ones to pay the price. Enyaren could remember listening to what Theisinger wanted her to do, all the while conjuring mental images of her dagger plunging into various points on his body.

_"You are to go to go to the Dragon Capital, Draqueen. There you will meet Zartler Horvath, one of the spies I've planted in the __Dragon__Palace__. He is currently posing as a Mapmaker and Architect. You will be his assistant and help him draw up the __Dragon__Palace__'s layout. I want everything about that Castle copied to parchment; all the servant corridors, secret passages and any entrances or exits. Portray yourself as a friend to the Dragon Tribe and do not give their Fortune Tellers any reason to lay the Cards down in order to find out more about you. Find any weak points in both the Castle and the inhabitants. You will stay there until further instruction." _

Afterwards Theisinger had cast the Mind Fusion curse on her. Enyaren couldn't fathom how much worse things could possibly get. It was bad enough that she was being forced to do the youkai Lord's bidding…having him inside her head made the task seem unbearable. The spell was an ancient curse that literally linked the minds of the caster and victim together, allowing them both the capabilities to talk to each other telepathically and see through each other's eyes and thoughts. The caster held the advantages to literally posses the victim and have complete control over the latter's actions. Theisinger had yet to posses Enyaren but she had the feeling that he would be able to send his energy and perform deadly magic if he ever did take her over.

Enyaren sighed miserably. Her father was probably going to tear her eyes out if she ever reached Heaven. Betrayal, treachery, and deceitfulness had been the things Lahaan had taught her to never commit against the Dragon Tribe even if it meant her life. But it wasn't her life that was being bartered for treason.

Enyaren listened to the soldiers outside the door, laughing hysterically as they drank themselves into stupidity. If they kept this up, all of them would have passed out within the next two hours. Escape would be incredibly easy if D'Manlars and his men were too busy sleeping off the alcohol they had consumed. All she had to do was wait until the Demon Lord let go of his plaything long enough to give her instruction on how to deal with the problem.

The demi-elf shook her head. 'Plaything' wasn't an appropriate or a fair term to describe Lucivar. She had only met him once or twice out of Theisinger's presence and he wasn't necessarily a bad person. He had been very polite and Enyaren found the Spirit youkai to be…sweet. Although she didn't understand how the attraction between Theisinger and Lucivar was, she did know that the two had merged their auras, the youkai version of marriage. Whenever the connection between herself and the red-haired demon lord was opened she could detect Lucivar's presence, even if she was unable to talk to him. They were in love…Enyaren found it difficult to believe that the cold hearted devil she knew Theisinger to be could fall in love. She certainly hadn't intended to open the connection while Theisinger and Lucivar were being intimate…the youkai Lord was probably going to be a little more then irritated whenever he called her.

Some half hour later, Enyaren felt the symbol on her forehead flare to life and the psychic channels open before Theisinger appeared in her mind. Bright black light illuminated the closet and the brown-haired demi-elf nearly let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't irritated or upset about her previous intrusion…Lucivar must have done him in well.

_Enyaren__, I've made a decision._

"Alright Lord Theisinger, tell me what you will me to do." Although she couldn't see it, she knew the youkai Lord was smirking and she didn't like what it suggested. When he didn't reply, she tried again, repeating her question but the red-haired youkai said nothing. Enyaren tried scanning over his thoughts but whenever she passed a certain point everything would blank…a barrier. Whatever he had in mind was hidden behind that psychic divider and obviously didn't want her to see it.

"Theisinger…?" She asked before her stomach lurched from the sudden wave of psychic energy that the Demon Lord had just unleashed between their minds. The 16-year-old demi-elf nearly cried out from surprise. It was as if there were a storm raging inside of her head and it was beginning to seep deeper then Theisinger's intrusions usually were.

"Theisinger!" She exclaimed, feeling herself break into a cold sweat, "What's happening, I feel like my mind's being swallowed!"

_Don't be afraid, Enyaren, I won't allow your body to be destroyed. Do not try to resist me either it will only make it painful. _

"What are you doing to me!" She demanded, closing her eyes and trying to fight the torrents flooding her mind, despite the splitting headache that had suddenly flared up in her head. What the hell was Theisinger trying to do!

Realizing that he was going to posses her, Enyaren vaguely felt her head slamming against the closet wall and the black light emitting from her forehead burn brighter. No…if he was going to possess her then whatever he was going to do to get her away from D'Manlars would include more then the murders of the Baron and his lackeys. The three cheap metal hangers above her head rattled as energy began to radiate off of her body, burning through the cords that were keeping her limbs bound instantly.

Enyaren let out an anguished cry as her struggles were overpowered by Theisinger's power. The sentiments of being possessed turned out to be a very peculiar feeling. Most people said that being possessed made you black out. Instead, Enyaren could see everything through her own eyes but she couldn't control what she was doing. It was as if she herself had been put in the back of her mind and her body was a living marionette with an invisible master pulling the strings.

She watched herself stand up and shake the wrinkles from her skirts before opening the closet door and marching right out of it. Enyaren felt herself becoming even more nervous…and she nearly screamed when she saw her own reflection in the mirror that was hanging on the wall across from her. Theisinger's chi was coming off of her in black waves, causing a whirlwind that broke a cheap porcelain vase on the vanity table and the empty wine glasses that sat on the table nearby to shatter. The symbol on her forehead was flaring vibrantly and her eyes were glowing a hellish black…like a crazed youkai.

Enyaren felt herself trembling in her subconscious. Her abrupt entrance and maniacal appearance was causing havoc in the small dusty room of the inn. The two serving wenches were quick to race out the door with their corsets half off, while D'Manlars' men stumbled about, grabbing their weapons and trying to decide whether to fight her or run.

_Theisinger__, what are you doing!_

_Be grateful my dear, I'm helping you escape._

D'Manlars, having heard the commotion that was occurring in his neighboring room had just thrown the door open with a loud slam. He wasn't happy about the disturbance and was dressed in nothing save his long underwear and tunic. Demanding what was happening the overweight Baron was nearly trampled as his minions ran from the room, screaming in panic.

"COWARDS! What the devil is going on in…here…" The Baron fell silent looked up to see the girl he had arrested back in Bin-Rah standing over him. "You-you girl…you're a youkai!" He stammered, paling as he stumbled backwards on his rear-end and ending up backing into the wall.

The young brunette snickered and folded her arms, tilting her head to the side as if she were trying to decide what to do with him. D'Manlars couldn't stop himself from trembling…the girl's appearance was boarding absolute maniacal with black energy swirling around her figure like a tornado and a Gaelic symbol shining on her forehead. Nearby down the hall, the whore he had hired for the night scurried out of the room and bolted for the stairs despite being scantily clad in a thin chemise and the sheet from the bed.

"S-settle down lass! We can work things out…you're free to go, your horse and all your belongings are in the Inn's stable. I'll even reimburse you! If it's money you want then we can work something out!" He said, his voice stammering as he body began to shake like a leaf in fear. However the girl ignored his plea and raised her hand over him, splaying her fingers and the brilliant black light that was circling her began to collect in her palm.

Far off in his chambers in Arinas, Theisinger smirked. He could easily feel Enyaren's frustration and fear. He could see the Baron cowering on the floor at her feet, offering sums of gold and pleas for his life. He was glad that it hadn't taken very much effort to possess his half-elf servant, otherwise he would have had to move and woken up Lucivar. The Spirit youkai stirred on top of him but otherwise didn't wake up.

Theisinger channeled his energy through Enyaren, gathering it in her palm. He supposed what he was doing was a little tacky and reckless and the results were certain to draw attention from the Dragon Palace. But perhaps that would be the best action to take, since it would completely dupe those Dragon fools. On her own, Enyaren was a very average young woman with the traits and strengths of a typical housewife. No one would even fathom the idea of her actually causing the disaster.

_THEISINGER! _Enyaren screamed, _WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO! _

"I'd cover your head, my dear." Theisinger said with a smirk.

_THEISINGER NO!_

**Author's Notes:** PHEW. Well I have to say that this chapter isn't one of my favorites. I wanted to add two more scenes into it but my hands just simply refused to work and my brain kept shutting down. GRRR! Oh well, I'm sorry this chapter was a disappointment, hopefully the next one will be better. Please review it?

I hope I didn't scare people off with the…risqué sex scene at the beginning. That was actually my first attempt at heavy yaoi lemon. How do you guys like Theisinger and Lucivar? Ain't they just sweet together? I thought it was rather dapper if I do say so myself.

Disclaimer: The song that Nohiro was singing and this chapter name, _Samain__ Nights _was done by Celtic Rock singer Loreena McKennitt, one of my favorite singers. Her music is the main fuel for this story so several of the chapter names will probably take on a name of her songs. I used _Samain__ Nights _for this particular one. So the bottom line is that I don't own _Samain__ Nights._

Till next time and don't forget to review! Reviews mean more story faster!


	5. Tierra de Nadie

**Author's Notes**: ………………………..Hello again everyone…after many months…maybe too many…I finally managed to spit out yet another chapter of Blithe Deception. I really need to start being consistent with this thing. Anyhoo once again I apologize for the extremely long gaps between the chapters. I typically loose interest in whatever Anime/manga I'm into for a while after producing a large chunk of fanfiction for it. My bad! --0

And I'll bet you peeps thought I was dead! Or that I dropped the fic.

I changed my penname! I am now Toon Addict...no more Bonny Fyfa!

Anyways for those who haven't noticed, I've upped the rating to mature! Which means no more warnings about the violence/sex stuff that's gonna pop up. If you're mature enough to click on a story with this rating then you can handle whatever I've scribbled down. Don't send me any crap about spoiling your minds, you guys know what you're getting into! Bwhahahahahaa!

Another thing. When I started Blithe Deceptions the DK manga was only up to number 14. I spoiled myself on the whole damn series. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! No this fic is NOT absolutely canon to the actual manga and I never wanted it to be. How else am I supposed to bring back Ra- I'm gonna shut up right now. But you get my point. Sorry to all those people who like canons.

If I didn't break the canon then this story would not exist so obviously I had to change a few things. Like the fact that Lykouleon's still alive. Sorry about the spoiler but if you couldn't figure it out by now...I thought it was screamingly obvious. But I do try to be creative and intelligent enough to piece together a likable, alternate ending to the DK manga.

Randomly, this story has an unbelievable amount of fluff in it. I sense yet another revision now that my writing quality has come up some more. I'm trying to make this somewhat realistic so it's not total fairy tale and whatnot. Suggestions and any other comments would be greatly appreciated!

In fact, lets make a deal! I'll start the next chapter as soon as I get 10 reviews (no cheating by reviewing once under your penname and the rest anonymously!) and have it out within two weeks. Promise! I might be able to spit out another chapter by this fic's one year anniversary (even though it really should've been finished...--0)

Right, time for me to stop bitching. Hope everyone enjoys this since it has been like 7 months since my last update. Aint that just sad?

_**The Gardens of the Dragon Palace **_

Homo growled to himself as he flapped his leathery red wings, floating down to a perch in the large oak tree the three boys were bound to be running for. The little dragon was slightly annoyed for being declared the babysitter…first Rath, then his son and several other children? He was getting too old for this!

Through the lush green leaves of the branch he had settled on, Homo could see Ran, Arian, and Daston racing through the garden in order to get to their 'secret base' up in the tree. The youngsters were laughing loudly, happy to finally see each other again. The Dragon of Fire settled down on the branch, resting his pointed chin on his front claws as he waited. Might as well enjoy the peace while it lasted because in another minute the tree was going to be shaking as Ran, Arian, and Daston climbed all over it.

The boys skidded to a halt as they came to the marble sets that led to the gardens, each completely out of breath from their run through the corridors. Collapsing on the stairs, Arian, Daston, and Ran wondered why the trip always seemed to take so long even with the shortcuts and secret passages.

"Guys, you don't think Karren's going to bother us right?" Ran asked, tugging on the clasps of his steinkirk. He had learned that tearing his dress clothes was not a good idea…the last time Cernozura had taken away his dessert and received no sympathy from his mother.

Arian laughed, "Nah, she's been all 'I'm a lady now' so she'll sit with Mother and do something girly like sew or have tea."

"She's a nightmare!" Daston continued, "She's been bossing us around lately and making us play dress-up with her and Fae. I hope that the baby Mama's having is a boy…I don't think I can take another sister."

Ran groaned, "My mom says that I'm going to have a sister soon."

Arian scowled, "You're in for Hell then, especially the time before the baby comes out. Our Mama was always happy one minute then whenever you said anything she'd get really mad."

"My mom's always got to go to the bathroom now. And she's always hungry too, every time I see her she's either heading to the toilet or the kitchens." The black haired youkai child said, shrugging out of his vest and laying the abandoned garments on the railing of the stairs.

"Wait until the baby's born." Daston said with a face, "Then everything gets crazy. I remember when Fae was born and she wouldn't stop crying unless she was asleep. It was awful!"

"C'mon, let's go climb the tree." Arian said impatiently as he got to his feet, signaling for the other two to follow.

On the other side of the courtyard, Cernozura smiled as she watched the boys rushing up to the trunk from the kitchen window. Ran was the first one up, jumping onto the lowest bough and swinging himself upwards and was closely followed by the elf-twins. Like monkeys, the trio darted, swung, and ducked along the branches as Homo circled them like a bright red bat.

"Karren, Fae, Ran and your brothers are outside in the courtyard. Why don't you two go outside and play too, dinner wont be served for another hour or two. There's a swing hanging from another tree close to the oak they're in now." The aging blonde haired woman said, wringing out a damp cloth and handing it to Karren. "Be sure to get all the glaze off your hands and faces."

"Where are Mama and Daddy?" Fae asked, clenching her little hands around the towel her sister was using.

Cernozura smiled kindly and knelt down so she was at level with the elf-princess. "Your parents will be in the ballroom. The courtyards that connect to the ballroom are directly across the gardens. Just follow the cobblestone path and you'll get there."

Karren smiled. "Thank you Miss Cernozura!" She said politely and grabbed her little sister's hand, leading her out the open back doors and into the gardens.

The castle Administrator shook her head, folding the damp towel and placing it neatly on the countertop. She hadn't forgotten the small catastrophe Karren and Ran had caused the last time they had met.

_Perhaps this year will be a bit more romantic. _

_**The Ballroom of the Dragon Palace**_

Tetheus sighed quietly to himself as he discreetly walked into the brightly lit palace ballroom, not wanting to draw attention to the fact he had taken a small detour in order to see what the castle Mapmaker was doing. The Black Dragon Officer had a bad feeling about Zartler and he had been debating on whether or not to voice his opinions to the Dragon Lord for a week now.

_Lykouleon must be able to detect something behind that nosy exterior he puts up. I wonder he's told anyone his reasons for keeping Zartler in the palace. _

"I was wondering where you went, Tetheus." Said a soft, feminine voice beside him.

Tetheus turned his head and found Delete at his side, looking up at him with a gentle smile on her face. For a moment, the Dragon General stared, loosing his ability to speak as a peculiar feeling came over him, as if someone had punched him in the gut and filled his stomach with feathers.

The castle's fortune-teller had pinned her wavy ice-green hair up in a swirling, delicate bun at the crown of her head with a large, brilliant pink passion-blossom pinned on the right side. Small gold hoops hung from her ears, matching bracelets were on her wrists, and around her neck was a throat-corset made of an intricate golden wires. Her dress fitted closely around her slender body, the lengthy sleeves and skirts swirling around her limbs elegantly.

Delete raised her eyebrow, "Is something wrong, Tetheus?"

"Oh...no." He said and averted his gaze to the center of the room. _What happened? _

The fortune-teller shrugged, letting the black haired general's trance pass. _What am I thinking, Tetheus always seems to be in a bored trance. _

From nearby, Ruwalk stared, observing the small exchange between his black haired friend and fortune teller. As a servant carrying a tray of champage flutes passed by, he picked one off and downed the entire thing in one bitter, fizzy gulp. He had never once seen Tetheus even attempt to socialize with the opposite sex, except occasionally with Kitchel. Deciding that he needed a little air, the Yellow Dragon Officer made his way towards the glass balcony doors.

_**The other side of the room **_

Kitchel scowled under her breath as she lingered around the arching glass paneled doors that led to the ballroom's veranda, hoping that it wasn't too obvious she had no desire to be there. She was still in shock of what had happened that morning.

_He's still the same immature brat I knew 50 years ago! What the hell does he see in torturing me like that?_

She fumed, sucking in a deep breath and trying to put her mind on the party. After all, Tintlette was one of her closest friends and she still needed to say hello and congratulate her on her fifth pregnancy.

The strawberry-red-haired woman glanced around the magnificent space, taking the site in as she scanned the room for the Elf Queen. She had always loved the palace's ballroom and even more so when it was being put to use. Chandeliers were lit with hundreds of candles and torches lined the walls, casting an almost-celestial glow over the rich velvet curtains and marble walls.

Kitchel felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Thatz. He was standing in a semi-circle with Gil and Vierrez with his back to her, deep in conversation with the Dragon Knight and Officer of Fire.

_Asshole wanker! He probably doesn't even care! _

"Hello Kitchel!"

The ex-bandit jumped and laid a hand over her heart, turning sharply. "Damn it Tintlette you scared me."

The blonde haired Elf Queen smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry. What are you doing over here by yourself?"

Kitchel sighed miserably and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm sorry I didn't come over and say hello right when you got here. Congratulations though, this'll be your fifth right?" She asked, trying to smile as she embraced Tintlette.

"Thank-you Kitchel. But tell me, what's happened between you and Thatz? Cesia mentioned that you were having problems and I thought for sure you'd be married by now."

Kitchel sighed bitterly, glaring in Thatz's direction as she told the blonde haired woman the morning's catastrophe. Tears were welling in her eyes the time she had finished and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her voice low. Tintlette looked mortified.

"Oh Kitchel, I'm so sorry! There has to be some kind of misunderstanding, I doubt Thatz would do something like that on purpose."

"I don't care!" The ex-bandit hissed, "We've been together for 50 fucking years, we should be married and on _our _fifth kid by now!" Kitchel gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, choking back a sob and turning her back to the dance floor.

Tintlette blinked, too shocked to speak as she laid her hands on her friend's shoulders. _I've never seen her like this..._

"Oh Tintlette. I'm so sorry." Kitchel whispered, "I am happy for you and Rune I really am. It's just...oh hell..." She groaned, giving her blonde haired friend a desperate look to convey the massive emotions she was feeling. "It's just that I..."

"Want a baby?" Tintlette offered.

Kitchel nodded, "Funny huh? Sorta hard to imagine me being a mom...I have trouble seeing me as a mom. But when we found out Cesia was pregnant again I suddenly began wanting a kid too."

"I'm sure Thatz has an explanation for what happened. Rune's just gone over to talk with him and with any luck he'll be trying to apologize tomorrow. Now," the Elf Queen winked one of her cerulean colored eyes, "This doesn't mean you can't torture him a bit until then."

_**Over by the punch tables **_

"Rath, if you keep drinking like that you'll be completely drunk before dinner!" Cesia hissed as her husband threw back his third round of red Gaesun wine.

"Cesia, I can hold my liquor." Rath replied with a small hiccup. "Besides, I need to go talk to Kitchel and bail Thatz out."

The black haired youkai scowled at her husband. "Bail Thatz out? You were the one that got him into that mess in the first place! By the way," She asked, lowering her voice, "Did you get the paper with that poem written on it back?"

The former Dragon Knight nodded, taking a swig of his fourth glass of Gaesun wine. "It's safe in the box up in the room."

Cesia breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved her husband, having the (rather bad) poetry he'd written for her on their wedding night spread around the castle was not something she wanted. Speaking of poetry getting around the castle ..

"Rath, when are you going to go talk to Kitchel?"

"As soon as I have a good buzz going."

"Rath, that's not when I had in mind."

_**Off to the side of the dance floor**_

"So tell me," Vierrez said thoughtfully, lifting the champagne flute he was holding to his lips, "Have you gotten down on your knees and begged Kitchel's forgiveness?"

Thatz glared at the Red Dragon Officer. "Vierrez, Kitchel's so pissed off at me right now she'd plunge a dagger in my throat before I got two words out. Besides, you were the idiots who decided that I needed to read her some stupid poem."

Gil clicked his tongue and shook his head. "No, Rath was the idiot that came up with that. We were simply there to make sure you got your lazy ass out of bed and you successfully scaled the wall."

The earth-haired knight sighed. He could not argue with that. "Where is she?"

Vierrez lifted an eyebrow. "Look around why don't you?"

"I can't do that, dumbass, do you know how bad that will look!" Thatz hissed irritably.

"Could you possibly make yourself look any worse?" Gil countered smartly.

Vierrez smirked before his golden eyes swept over the room casually. "She's standing by the balcony doors with Tintlette. She still looks upset."

Thatz groaned. He had pissed his girlfriend off many, many times throughout the course of their relationship and they had worked through their issues each time. But would she be willing to forgive him this time, especially since he'd completely botched 'the question'? Why did women have to be so complicated in the first place?

_**On the dance floor**_

Lykouleon glanced up at the balcony that was situated some fifteen feet above the floor perched at the top of a marble stone spiraling set of stairs. There was a small orchestra there, waiting for someone to signal them to begin playing.

The Dragon King met eyes with the maestro, a short, dumpy musician with a head of erratic white hair and a pair of large round glasses, which magnified warm brown eyes. Lykouleon raised his white-gloved hand and snapped his finger, mouthing his thanks to the conductor, who fumbled with his ivory baton before calling the other musicians to attention.

"May I have this dance, my Lady?" Lykouleon asked, leading his wife onto the floor as the symphony began. It was a simple piece, an elegant waltz that was traditionally played at the opening of all the small parties held at the Dragon Palace.

Raseleane smiled at her him as she lifted the skirts of her gown up and easily fell into step with her husband. Having danced that particular waltz so many times before the movements had long become second nature to the both of them, and they enjoyed the subtle intimacy that was created between them.

"So," He whispered, raising an eyebrow with a sly expression on his face. "Shall we make the announcement tonight?"

Raseleane shook her head, smiling. "Wait until dinner when everyone is expecting you to make some sort of speech."

The blonde haired king couldn't suppress the wide grin that spread across his face. He was still slightly shocked that Raseleane was –after so many years and attempts—pregnant. Most of the astonishment had worn into genuine male pride and Lykouleon was finding it difficult not to wish that Nadil was alive to see that his curse was broken.

Although he would never admit it, Lykouleon found himself a little envious of Rune. The Elf king had the sort of family that the Dragon Lord had once pictured himself having with Raseleane. 50 years ago he'd have never guessed that the blonde haired elf prince would be the one to have so many children in such a short amount of time. He'd have bet his best horse that if anyone was going to mass reproduce, it would be Rath and Cesia.

_Kami knows they make love often enough..._He thought with a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Raseleane looked up into her husband's eyes, finding that they were practically glittering with anticipation. Anticipation...she hadn't seen that look in his eyes for such a long time. The clearest memory of that she had was when he murmured his desire for six children in the throws of passion on their wedding night so many years ago.

She leaned up slightly and kissed him chastely on the mouth, feeling sentimental all of the sudden. She had spent years feeling unworthy as the position of his wife and envious of Cesia's fertility. Before she had sensed her pregnancy, Raseleane had felt guilty that she could not give Lykouleon the children that he wanted and deserved.

"Raseleane?" He asked inquiringly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." She replied happily, leaning her head against his chest as they danced. "So tell me, are Kitchel and Thatz warming back up to each other?"

The Dragon King glanced up, his emerald green eyes quickly circling the ballroom as he gently twirled Raseleane.

"I'd say no..." He whispered as they came together again, "They're on opposite sides of the room."

The rose haired queen sighed as the waltz ended, stepping back and curtsying to her husband. "I hope they get things situated out soon."

_**The Entrance of the Ballroom**_

Nohiro smiled, thanking the servant that had just served him two flutes of glittering champagne as he and Ririkaina walked into the ballroom.

"I shouldn't be here." The blue haired elf whispered nervously, hesitantly taking the glass Nohiro offered her. "I-"

The brown haired Dragon Officer shook his head. "If there's one thing I've learned, everyone is always welcome in Lykouleon's house no matter who they are. You'd be surprised how hospitable he is. He'd invite beggars and thieves in to tea if he saw one walking outside the gate."

Ririkaina silently mouthed an 'Oh' and sipped at the beverage, liking the slightly acidic, bubbly taste. She felt a little self-conscious about her appearance...everyone else was dressed for a formal occasion and she felt slightly out of place in her navy blue moon-and-sun print dress.

"Lord Rune is over there." Ririkaina said, nodding her head in the direction of the Elfish King.

The Blue Dragon Officer nodded, spotting the blonde haired elf as he made his way over to where his wife was standing, talking with Kitchel. He offered his arm to Ririkaina and smiled kindly.

"Come with me?"

The blue haired elf girl blinked, briefly biting her lip in uncertainty before shaking her head and tucking her hand in the crook of Nohiro's elbow.

_Why is he so familiar? _She asked herself as they began to cross the ballroom floor.

_**On the other side of the room**_

"Gil!" Rath whispered under his breath, coming up behind the Dragon Knight of Fire and wrapping his arm around his neck, "Gil, where's Homo?"

"Argh, let go." The violet haired knight said, shrugging Rath's arm off, "I'm not sure, the last time I saw him he was with Ran and the elf's boys. By the way, your breath reeks of alcohol."

"Shit." The black haired youkai said, ignoring the last comment and holding up a small, folded piece of parchment. "I needed him to fly this up to the maestro before the waltz ended."

"What's that," Thatz asked with a glare, "Another one of your famous poems?"

"No, it's a request. I want him to play _Tierra de Nadie _so I can talk to Kitchel and get you two close enough to kiss and makeup." The former knight replied.

Gil lifted an eyebrow. For all his stupidity with women, Rath had his moments of shining brilliance. The dance that accompanied the _Tierra de Nadie _consisted of several folk-like steps that created an elegant wheel with a spiraling pattern of groups of four dancers, two men and two women. The Dragon Knight of Fire was intelligent enough to realize Rath's brilliant scheme. He'd get Kitchel and Thatz in his circle together with Cesia and hope that all hell wouldn't break loose in the middle of the dance.

Thatz groaned. "You know I suck at that dance."

Rath narrowed his eyes at his friend. "So do I, so consider this a testimony of friendship and stop bitching. I don't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas to make it up to Kitchel."

The earth haired knight rolled his eyes, finding himself unable to argue again. This was getting irritating! Why was it that the entire situation seemed to be his fault when Rath was the one that had gave him the damned poem in the first place?

"Well the waltz is going to end soon and I need to get this up to the conductor if this plan's going to work. Thatz, go find my wife. Vierrez, go get Kitchel and make sure she gets in my wheel."

The Red Dragon Officer scowled darkly as he made his way across the ballroom. Just why in the Nine Hells did he have to drag the red-haired ex-thief onto the dance floor anyhow? He didn't even know her all that well! He glanced at his reflection as he passed by a mirror hanging on the wall and resisted the urge to smirk. At least he had enough good-looks to turn the average female's head. After all, how often did one see his kind of flaming orange-gold hair?

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rath rush up the spiraling staircase while Thatz was telling Cesia of her husband's plans. He looked over his shoulder as he approached the two Elf nobles and the ex-thief in time to see Rath give him a quick thumbs-up from the balcony.

_The bastard had better pay me for the trouble. _Vierrez thought as he tapped Kitchel on the shoulder. She looked over her shoulder with a smile and opened her mouth to say hello, but closed it when she realized who it was and promptly turned her head again.

Tintlette had to suppress a smile as Kitchel's expression turned murderous upon seeing Vierrez. Her red-haired friend was glaring at something out of the corner of her eye and her left brow twitched irritably. The Elf Queen felt her husband glance at the top of her head and squeeze her hip, a signal that told her that he was a bit nervous about the potential outcome of the evening. Subtly, she ran her hand down his back, silently replying that things would probably turn out just fine in the end. Probably.

"Kitchel," Vierrez said exasperatedly, "Please, would you come with me and speak to Rath?" He asked, purposefully leaving off Thatz's name. If the Knight of Earth was mentioned the orange-gold haired Officer knew that any chance of getting Kitchel to talk with anyone would be shot in the dirt.

"Why, so you two can make Thatz's apologies?" She asked snappishly, folding her arms.

"No, so that Rath can explain what happened this morning since it was his fault in the first place." He replied shortly, taking her arm and practically dragging the red haired young woman with him.

"Well," Rune said thoughtfully as Tintlette broke into giggles, "I'd say things are picking up."

Kitchel had half a mind to slap Vierrez as he toted her across the ballroom like a toddler who had been acting up. Besides, it wasn't as if the entire Dragon Courts had assembled, the people who were present were her friends! It wasn't as if they weren't aware of the strain that was on her relationship with Thatz.

"Rath, are you sure that this is the greatest idea?" Cesia asked as her husband joined her and Thatz by the dance floor as the orchestra played the remaining twenty seconds of the waltz. The youkai fortune-teller was skeptical about her husband's plan. Kitchel and Thatz were both prone to emotional outbursts and having them both blow up in the middle of the dance would be borderline catastrophic.

"No." Rath said simply as Vierrez arrived with Kitchel. The red haired ex-thief gave Thatz a smoldering, murderous look and folded her arms, scowling darkly. The Dragon Knight of Earth simply stared at the floor, shifting uncomfortably as the music of the first waltz ended.

Rath smiled brightly, ignoring the irritated expression on Kitchel's face. "Right so, Kitchel..." He said, silently thanking the stars above that the orchestra started to play the opening drum and pipe sequence _Tierra de Nadie _after only a few second's pause.

Taking her cue, Cesia quickly took Thatz's arm and pulled him into position. Reluctently, Thatz complied and began to step left and right, clapping his hands once with each step. He still looked miserable and a bit awkward. Over his shoulder Cesia could see Raseleane, Lykouleon, Rune, and Tintlette form another circle behind them, all of them falling into the opening step immediately.

"Relax Thatz." Cesia whispered reassuringly, "Look, Delete's dragging Tetheus into the dance too, so you and Rath wont be the only ones struggling." She said as the fortune teller and Black Dragon officer were joined by Nohiro and an elf Cesia wasn't familiar with.

Thatz rolled his eyes. "That makes me feel so much better." He replied sarcastically.

As Kitchel turned around, she found that Vierrez had bolted off the dance floor and was standing beside Gil at the punch tables, both drinking a goblet of Gaeson wine. The bastard! Once again, she had fallen into a trap.

"Kitchel, just let me explain." Rath said as he began to step back and forth, taking Kitchel by the wrist and lining her up with Cesia and Thatz. Reluctantly she began to dance too, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the floor and ruin the whole dance.

Up in the balcony, another piper joined into the song, playing the quick, upbeat folk tune, which started the rest of the steps. On cue, the women brought their arms up and spun as the men circled them with long, sliding steps.

"That whole poem thing was my fault." Rath said as he sidestepped behind Kitchel, taking her waist and lifting her up. "Listen, I was supposed to give Thatz the poem I read to Cesia the night I popped the question but I gave him the wrong one by accident. I didn't mean to give him the paper with...you know what I mean." He continued, pausing awkwardly as they circled each other, palms pressed together.

Kitchel raised her eyebrow at the former Dragon Knight of Fire. "You're bullshitting, you don't write poetry."

Rath rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "Kitchel, I know it's difficult to believe but I am capable of stringing a few pretty sentences together. If anyone is incapable, Thatz is. That's why I gave him something to read to you in the first place. If you don't believe me, ask Cesia to show you the box I keep all of them in. But you can ask that later, right now you and Thatz can sort things out."

Kitchel's eyes widened as Rath suddenly spun her outwards, barely remembering to stretch out her hand. She had forgotten that in the middle of the _Tierra de Nadie _one changed dancing partners. Thatz took her hand and sidestepped behind her, his ruby red eyes meeting hers for a fleeting second.

She sighed and turned around to face him, swaying left and right. Maybe the entire mess that happened that morning was just a horrible mistake on Rath's behalf and that she was overreacting a little.

_I'm in hell..._Thatz mentally groaned to himself as he struggled to keep in step with Kitchel. The earth-haired young man honestly didn't know if the day could possibly get any worse. He had botched his proposal, gotten himself miserably drunk, his girlfriend was ragingly pissed off at him, and on top of that he had to fumble his way through the _Tierra de Nadie. _

He looked up to find Kitchel studying him intensely. They watched each other for several long moments, completely loosing track of everything else that was happening around them, including the dance. They simply stood there, stepping left then right and clapping once each time.

"So how's the party for you?" _Is what Rath said true? _

"Fine. You?" _Kitchel, I'm so sorry...I'm such a dumbass._

"Well enough." _Yeah you are...dumbass._

"You look nice in that dress." _Will you forgive me, Kitchel? _

"Thanks." _Yes, I will. _

Rath and Cesia, realizing that the two were having a 'moment' smiled at each other and took a few steps back before beginning the dance over by themselves. However, they couldn't stay interested, especially when everyone else had stopped dancing and were watching the two ex-bandits closely. Even the conductor was watching the scene unfold from over his shoulder, waving his baton haphazardly.

"Kitchel," Thatz began as the music drew to a close and stopped dancing. "I—"

Kitchel raised an eyebrow and stepped close to him, putting her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly. "Just don't screw it up the next time, alright?" She whispered and pressed a quick, fleeting kiss to his lips. Thatz breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her, smelling the hair oil on her strawberry red hair and the perfume on her neck.

"I won't." _Finally...that's over..._

Rath started to clap, smirking at his wife. "See, I told you I'd fix things."

**Author's Notes:** Alright everybody, I cant think of another damn thing to add to this chapter. I dun think it's exactly up to the standard the first three chapters were. Granted I did spit it out in two days. Suddenly I just really really really wanted to get it up and remind all my readers that no I haven't died yet and that I didn't drop this fic. Hey, 12 pages isn't too bad for a chapter I think...tho I think it's the shortest one I've done so far.

As always, I must apologize for the loopholes and mistakes that appear throughout the chapter. I try to filter them all out but I never know what fanfiction dot net's gonna do to the chapter once it's up.

So what did you guys think? Had a bit more with the DK's offspring in this chapter though not nearly as much as I'd like. DK is actually a pretty difficult series to write fanfiction for since there's sooooo many characters to keep up with. . I didn't forget anybody did I? God I hope not.

For those of you who're thinking 'wait, Thatz and Kitchel already made up? Just like that!' don't worry. I wink and say that there's a hell of a lot more coming. Kitchel hasn't forgiven Thatz completely just yet...and I can say that there's going to be a verrry steamy scene with them later on that night once the party's over and they start talking one on one.

In any case I'm so sorry that this chapter only contains...two scenes only involving the Dragon Court. And Ruwalk practically dropped off the face of the fic!Never fear, I haven't forgotten about Theisinger, Lucivar, Basilca, or Ruwalk and Enyaren. We'll get to see more of them in the next chapter.

Now since I've been gone I noticed that fanfiction dot net has added a few very spiffy things to the site, including a 'reply' feature to the site's members. I'll be thanking all my reviewers via that from now on. But since I just noticed it, I'd just like to take a few minutes to say a few words of thank-you to the readers who basically motivate me to keep on with this story.

Aquajogger: Girl you are basically the only reason this story is updated.

Lady Dragonnaine: I tip my hat to you!

Salor Earth: Thanks so much for the boot in the ass! Hope this satisfied you a bit for your question of if Rath explained everything to Kitchel.

Peabo: Glad you liked it!

Kurai-Hoshi: So glad you like Enyaren and my story! Your compliments are very much appriciated

naked flamer: Lol thank you very much!

Hentaikoneko: I salute to you my dear! I updated!

By the way, about those C2s...how do those things work anyhoo? Do the staff members and managers pick which fics go in there? Would someone explain it to me please?

Till next time!


	6. Bye for Now

Aye me, its been such a long while. Too long of a while. And I have to apologize profusely to everyone who's read and reviewed this story.

I just don't have much of a drive to produce the story anymore. I suppose I'm putting it on hiatus until I have the want to write it back again. My attention is spawning in every direction BUT Dragon Knights right now. I'm also getting manically depressed because the series is quickly drawing to its final volumes.

Don't I sound like the emo poet?

In any case, thank you again, to all my readers and the people who were kind to review my work. Maybe I'll post some of my other fanfiction up. And maybe I'll actually get around to finishing Blithe Deception.

But I cant tell everyone how happy I am to have received so many reviews for this story. It was way more then what I was initially hoping for! And to all those who sent me fanart, I'm exceedingly grateful, I still have copies of all of them!

See you all soon! 33333

Toon Addict


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